Bullock School’s Past As YMCA Still Remembered In Montclair

MONTCLAIR, NJ — The Montclair Public School District will hold a dedication ceremony at the first new school in the town in nearly 80 years – Charles H. Bullock School – which will pay tribute to the former Washington Street YMCA.

During a public ceremony on May 18 at 10 a.m. at Charles Bullock School, officials will unveil a memorial plaque honoring the history and legacy of the Washington Street YMCA (WSY).

According to a statement from the office of Superintendent Kendra Johnson, Charles Bullock School, which opened in 2010, was built on the former site of the Washington Street Y, and pays tribute to Charles H. Bullock, who served as the Washington Street Y’s executive director from 1916 to 1935. A photograph of Bullock is located in the school entranceway, memorializing his contributions during his tenure.

Not only is the Bullock School the first new school in Montclair in nearly 80 years, it’s also the first building in the township to be named after an African-American, district officials stated.

The May 18 ceremony will include opening remarks from Johnson, who will also provide a brief history of the Washington Street Y, performances by Hillside’s Drums of Thunder (weather permitting), the Montclair High School Chorus, and the unveiling of the memorial plaque.

Montclair school administrators shared the following background about the WSY:

“The Washington Street Y opened in 1926 and was demolished in 2005. Inspired by Booker T. Washington, Julius Rosenwald, President of Sears, Roebuck and Company donated millions of dollars to build schools for black children in the rural south. Rosenwald also helped to build the YMCAs in black communities through a challenge grant offering $25,000 to any community nationwide that would raise $75,000 for construction of a YMCA in African American communities. From this offer, 24 YMCAs were built in 14 states, including WSY under the leadership of Bullock. For many, the WSY served as a place where children felt safe and protected. It has been described as a “Beacon of Light” and a “North Star” in the Black community of Montclair for providing a complete array of programs and services that improved the well-being of individuals, families and Montclair’s African American Community as a whole. It is a little-known fact that for five cents, a non-member could get a clean towel and a shower. This was significant because most Black families did not have showers in their homes. The WSY also had the only local pool where Black people could swim, and it is believed that as many as 700 Black soldiers learned to swim there before going off to World War II.”

According to school administrators, since the WSY’s demolition in 2005 to make way for the Bullock School, a committee of Montclair community members who felt a strong connection to their childhood “second home” lobbied the Montclair Board of Education to memorialize the WSY as a tribute to the way in which it helped to prepare boys and girls for civic life as adults.

The board recently voted unanimously to approve the dedication plaque, officials said.

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