On my walk down 7th Avenue In Park Slope yesterday, I passed this spectacular building and entranceway I could hardly believe this was a building built in 1902 as a high school, and remains a school today – the John Jay High School for Law, Journalism and Research.

I was in awe of a culture that could such a beautiful thing and go to the time and trouble to commission such a beautiful and imposing entrance.  It tells us what New York City and America though of itself, what it’s priorities were, how art and culture were so important, even over the door of what was then a vocational high school.

In our time, we seem to be dominated by money grubbers, worried only about the cost of things, I can’t imagine any town voting to spend the money to carve out this inspiring entrance. Made me happy to see it, made me sad also. We seem to think so little of ourselves sometimes.

How ambitious New York City was, how proud of it’s immigrants,  how serious it’s determination to educate everyone, even the poor immigrants of Brooklyn then.