Jamaica High School(New York City)

Jamaica High School
Present building completed in 1927
Address
167-01 Gothic Drive Jamaica, Queens, New York United States
Coordinates	40°42′52″N 73°47′54″W / 40.7145°N 73.7982°W / 40.7145; -73.7982Coordinates: 40°42′52″N 73°47′54″W / 40.7145°N 73.7982°W / 40.7145; -73.7982
Information
Type	Public
Established	1892
Status	Closed
Closed	2014
Grades	9–12
Color(s)	Red & Blue
Mascot	Beavers

Jamaica High School was a four-year public high school in Jamaica, Queens, New York. The school was administered by the New York City Department of Education, which closed the school in 2014. The school's landmark campus, located at the corner of 167th Street and Gothic Drive, remains open and is now officially known as the Jamaica Educational Campus. It houses four smaller separately-administered public high schools that share facilities and sports teams.

The first permanent location of Jamaica High School, opened in 1897, is located at 162-02 Hillside Avenue, on the south side of Hillside Avenue between 162nd and 163rd Streets, near Jamaica Center. The building was designed by William Tubby, a well-known Brooklyn architect, in the Dutch Revival style. Dutch revival style was chosen as a nod to the roots of Jamaica and all of New York City as Dutch colonies. It is a three-story structure with a raised basement, constructed of red and tan brick; the tan bricks have since darkened from their original shade. The school features several decorative design elements, including splayed lintels, a stepped gable at top of the right (west) side of the front facade with arched windows, and a hipped roof. At both the east and west ends of the building are two enclosed stairwells, installed in 1904. The building originally featured a bell tower, which has since been removed. A parking lot is located at the rear of the school. The building was designated as a New York City landmark in 2013.

The current Jamaica High School campus opened in 1927, and is located on a large tract between 168th Street to the east and Chapin Partway to the west in the Jamaica Hills section of Jamaica. The school faces towards Gothic Drive at the south end of the campus. 84th Avenue marks the north end of the site, one block south of the Grand Central Parkway. The property is 13 acres in size. This large expansive campus is unconventional for a New York City school. Across 84th Avenue is Thomas A. Edison High School, a vocational school. Across to the south and west is Captain Tilly Park. The campus occupies a hilltop location with commanding views on Gothic Drive. When the building first opened, views were available across to the bodies of water surrounding Long Island: the Long Island Sound, East River, and Atlantic Ocean. A large lawn separates the school building from Gothic Drive, with a stone stairway and pathway leading up from the street to the school. An iron fence encircles the entire property.