Public School No. 3, Hamilton Avenue between Ludlow & Morris Streets, Yonkers, Westchester County, NY

Significance: Public School Number Three (P.S. #3) on Hamilton Ave. in Yonkers is the earliest remaining school complex in the city. Constructed in five major portions that were designed by architects of local or regional prominence, the complex was begun in 1884 and expanded as the needs of the district changed. P.S. #3 is illustrative of the growth and development of the neighborhood and of the city of Yonkers.
The position of P.S. #3 in the city's physical and social history is strengthened by the fact that the first parents' group in the city- and the second such group in the nation- was organized by Mrs. Belle Smith-Bruce, principal of #3 from 1893-1922. Graduates of the school who achieved national prominence included actress Constance Bennett and Brigadier General Frederick Hopkins. The area bounded by Morris and Ludlow Streets on Hamilton Ave., containing well-preserved mid to late 19th and early 20t century residences in the French Second Empire, Queen Anne and Classical Revival styles in addition to the school, has been identified by the Yonkers Planning Bureau's Historic Inventory Survey (Phase 1) as a potential historic district.
P.S. #3 has played an important role in the Hamilton Ave neighborhood and in the community as a whole for nearly one hundred years.
Survey number: HABS NY-6037