SPECIAL SECTION: The Story of Our Schools Over the Years

Above: A 1978 class photo of the combined 3rd and 4th grades in the small Independence Plaza school building. The school, then an annex of the Village's P.S. 3, was a forerunner of Tribeca's P.S. 234, also known as the "Independence School." Photo: Courtesy of John Scott.

From a commercial, child-unfriendly area of the city to neighborhoods teeming with families, Downtown has bloomed. In this special section, we dig into the Tribeca Trib's 19 years of archives to present, if only in highlights, the story of Downtown's schools, with a focus on public elementary schools within the geographical boundaries of Community Board 1. Page through the section, part of our September print edition, for a quick trip back in time.