PS 186, the long since abandoned school of W 145th street. Located on W 145th St. between Amsterdam and Broadway avenues, it’s been questioned for decades since the 112 years of being built. After years of encountering this helpless building since childhood, it’s been brought to our attention that it’s time to know what’s been going on with this underdeveloped space in our community. We set out a team of four of us, Raelene, Ada, Melissa and Nefy.

On our venture of uncovering the truth of this sought-upon building, we encountered many different experiences and events. From getting doors slammed in our faces, to not being able to fully communicate with the proper organizations, we were trying to uncover so many things with a limited amount of time and limited access. Even though we weren’t able to get access inside of the building or communicate with the current owner of the building, The Boys and Girls Club of Harlem, we were still able to get a lot of information from community locals, articles, and videos already based on this notoriously uninhibited school.

Abandoned for now over 38 years, this school is chock-full of history. Built in 1901 by C.B.J. Snyder, and praised for its beautiful architecture, it has been the burial ground for the hopes and dreams of a great community addition. Being owned by the Boys and Girls Club of Harlem has done nothing to improve the establishment, with its hearty promises of the construction of affordable housing and a community center that embraces the people of this part of Harlem. We looked at different pictures and writings about this building and it was amazing to see how it has been abandoned for more than 20 years.

In addition, it was also interesting how they could have made it into so many things that are needed in Harlem such as homes for the homeless, shelters for the poor, doctors offices, community centers, after-school program sites or a school like it was before. It gets tiring when you can happen to pass by and seeing this building that’s been here since childhood, with debris and trees growing inside, with no further reconstruction or change to it. Hopefully, there will be a happy ending for this structure.