Allen-Stevenson School

Allen-Stevenson is a private boys school for kindergarten through 9th grade in New York City, New York. It opened in 1883 and moved to its present location at 132 East 78th Street in 1924.

History

The Allen School was founded in 1883 by Francis Bellows Allen at a home on Fifth Avenue and 57th Street. Its first class enrolled only three boys. In 1885, the school moved to rented rooms at Madison Avenue and 44th Street with an enrollment of 20 boys. In 1904, Mr. Allen met Robert Alston Stevenson, a tutor, who by chance had taken a room at 509 Fifth Avenue, where the School was then located. In 1904, Mr. Allen and Mr. Stevenson joined forces and then moved to 50 East 57th Street with 100 students. By 1918 enrollment exceeded 200. The School published its first newspaper, The Spotlight, and introduced an exercise program and team sports.

In 1924, the School purchased two brownstones for a new schoolhouse and moved to its present location on the Upper East Side. In 1939, Mr. Allen retired at the age of 80, after 56 years of service. In 1947, Mr. Stevenson retired after 43 years of service. His son, Robert "Huck" Alston Stevenson Jr., who had taught at the School, succeeded him as Headmaster.

In 1950, Joseph C. Rennard became Headmaster of Allen-Stevenson and served for nine years. The School introduced team sports at Randall's Island and required boys to wear navy blue blazers and gray flannel pants. In 1959, Henry Dyer Tiffany, Jr. became Headmaster until 1974. Under his leadership, a modern science lab and a paneled library, a gift from the Bell family, were added.

Allen-Stevenson's school song was composed by music teacher Rolande Schrade in 1968.

In 1974, Desmond Cole became Headmaster and served for 16 years. During his tenure, he created the Middle School division.

In 1983, The Allen-Stevenson School celebrated its first 100 years and published The Allen-Stevenson Centennial Album. Around that time an East 77th Street addition, designed by A-S parent Alfredo De Vido, was built onto the school.

In 1990, the Board of Trustees appointed David Trower as Allen-Stevenson's seventh Headmaster. In 2001, Allen-Stevenson launched its first website to improve communication about the School.

In 2007, a total renovation-expansion of the school interior was completed, which preserved the school's Classical Revival brick and Victorian brownstone facades according to New York Landmarks Preservation Commission guidelines for the Upper East Side Historic District.

In 2008, School completes year-long celebration of 125th Anniversary. The Board of Trustees approves Allen-Stevenson and Its Community, a policy statement about inclusion and community life.

In 2009, Allen-Stevenson is twice recognized for its work on energy and the environment, first with a coveted Energy Star rating by the U.S. Department of Energy and then by the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) for LEED Gold Certification for Existing Buildings (EB).[1] This makes Allen-Stevenson the very first elementary school in the United States to achieve LEED-EB Gold status.

Athletics

Fall - Soccer, Football and Intramurals

Winter - Basketball, Wrestling, Ice Hockey, and Winter Track

Spring - Baseball, Lacrosse, Track, and Intramurals

There are also dance and wellness programs.

Arts

Allen-Stevenson offers art, shop, music and theatre programs for grades K-9. These include Art and Shop, Orchestra, Chorus, and Technical Theatre programs.

Headmasters

1. Francis Bellows Allen (d. November 3, 1952) - 1883-1939, joins with Mr. Stevenson in 1904
2. Robert Alston Stevenson - 1904-1947, becomes full-time Headmaster after Mr. Allen leaves in 1939
3. Robert “Huck” Alston Stevenson Jr. - 1947-1949, son of Robert A. Stevenson, Sr., takes over when his father retires after 43 years.
4. From 1949 to 1950, Cesido Ruel Simboli Ph.D. fills in as acting Headmaster while another one is being selected. He appears as “Acting Headmaster” in the 1950 yearbook.
5. Joseph C. Rennard - 1950-1959, introduces navy blazers and gray flannel pants.
6. Henry Dyer Tiffany, Jr. (b. 1910, d. 1994) - 1959-1974, adds modern science lab and a paneled library to the school.^[1]
7. Desmond Francis Patrick Cole (b. 1924, d. 2008) - 1974-1990, expands the science program, introduces micro-computers, and creates the Middle School division.^[2][3]
8. David Ross Trower - 1990–Present, appointed by the Board of Trustees.

Notable alumni

• Dan Abrams - Class of 1981 - Television host, legal commentator
• Jeremy Ben-Ami - Class of 1970 - Executive Director of J Street
• Peter Benchley - Class of 1954 - Author of Jaws, son of humorist Nathaniel Benchley
• Bill Block - Class of 1968 - Founder and CEO of QED International, a leading independent motion picture production, financing and sales distributions company
• Gerald Warner Brace (1901–1978) - Writer, educator, sailor, boat-builder
• Jonathan Bush - Class of 1984 - co-founder/Chief Executive Officer of athenahealth
• Frank Brunckhorst - Class of 1978 - Chairman, Boar’s Head Provision Company
• Michael Douglas - Class of 1959 - Actor and film producer; won Academy Awards for Best Picture for One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and for Best Actor in Wall Street (1987); received American Film Institute Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009
• Michael Eisner - Class of 1957 - CEO of The Walt Disney Company from 1984 until 2005
• Andy Heyward - Class of 1964 - Chairman and CEO of DIC Entertainment, was the co-creator of Inspector Gadget as a writer for Hanna-Barbera in the early 1970s
• Jeffrey Hollender - Class of 1970 - Co-founder and CEO of Seventh Generation Inc
• Charles Horman - Class of 1957 - Journalist, victim of the Chilean coup of 1973
• Honorable Pierre N. Leval - Class of 1951 - US Court of Appeals, Second Circuit
• James MacArthur - Class of 1952 - Actor, best known for the role of Danno Williams in Hawaii Five-O
• John Negroponte - Class of 1953 - Diplomat, research fellow and lecturer in international affairs at Yale University's MacMillan Center, former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State and first-ever Director of National Intelligence
• Richard C. Perry - Class of 1969 - Hedge fund investor and current owner of Barneys New York
• Philip Proctor - Class of 1955 - Actor and member of The Firesign Theater
• Richard Thomas - Class of 1966 - Actor, best known for playing John-Boy in The Waltons
• Max Brockman - Class of 2003 - Writer for the television series "Girls"
• Luis Ubinas - Class of 1978 - Former director of the Ford Foundation
• Roberto Mangabeira Unger - Class of 1961 - Philosopher and politician
• Christopher Weaver - Class of 1966 - Founder of Bethesda Softworks
• Chris Weitz - Class of 1984 - Film producer, writer, director and actor; co-directed American Pie and About a Boy with brother Paul (below); they are sons of actress Susan Kohner
• Paul Weitz - Class of 1980 - Film producer, writer, director; screenwriter for Antz
• Norval White - Class of 1940 - Architect, architectural historian, best known for authoring the AIA Guide to New York City
• David Yazbek - Class of 1975 - Emmy-winning writer, musician, composer, and lyricist; wrote the songs for the Broadway musicals The Full Monty (2000) and Dirty Rotten Scoundrels (2005)

Allen-Stevenson in the News

• Allen-Stevenson Gymnastics - 1911^[4]
• Allen-Stevenson Boxing Matches - 1912^[5]
• Mr. Cole refuses to close Allen-Stevenson during the Blizzard of 1978^[6]
• A story in The New Yorker about Allen-Stevenson and dances.^[7]
• A legal battle being waged that could have a major impact on how community facilities - schools, churches and doctors' offices - are built in New York City's residential neighborhoods - 1987^[8]
• Parents Protesting the End of Standardized Testing at Private Schools^[9]
• An article about private school tuition^[10]

References