William H. Gompert

William H. Gompert (1875 -1946) was the Architect & Superintendent of School Buildings for the New York City Board of Education. According to research [1] published by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission, Gompert was educated at Adelphi Academy, Pratt Institute, and the Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences. The Landmarks Commission report on Gompert was included in its study of its decision to grant landmark status to the building that once housed The High School of Music & Art. It states:

"After employment in the firms of McKim, Mead & White, Maynicke & Franke, and Harding & Gooch, he established his own practice around 1906 and specialized in the design of commercial and institutional buildings. He was elected president of the Brooklyn chapter of the American Institute of Architects in 1923. Gompert was hired in February 1923 by the New York City Board of Education as an expert to assist in the reorganization of the Bureau of Construction and Maintenance and to facilitate the construction of public schools; his initial six-month contract gave him the 'powers and duties of Superintendent of School Buildings.'

"According to The New York Times, Gompert had 'much experience in the directing of large building construction enterprises.' After a six-month extension of his contract, Gompert was appointed in January 1924 to the position of Architect and Superintendent of School Buildings for the Board of Education, and became the third-highest paid official in the administration of Mayor John Francis Hylan.

"Gompert was the first successor to the noted Charles B.J. Snyder, Superintendent of School Buildings from 1891 until January 1, 1923, who had been responsible for the vast school construction program following the consolidation of New York City in 1898, and had been 'virtually forced out of the post under pressure by. . . Mayor Hylan.'

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