William H. Gompert
William H. Gompert (1875 -1946) was the Architect and
"After employment in the firms of
"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
"To alleviate the serious overcrowding in the schools caused by immigration after World War I, New York City undertook another extensive program of school construction in the mid-1920s. Gompert was forced to contend with a significant shortage of bricklayers in the citywide building industry, as well as a lack of interest on the part of major construction firms in bidding on public school construction projects. He attempted to bring about economy and change in the process of school construction, including standardizing design and construction, employing general contracts instead of individual construction contracts, and instituting double shifts to shorten construction time. In 1925, however, charges began to surface, first by a mayoral candidate, that many of the schools constructed under Gompert were defective. By the end of 1927, three separate investigations were underway and Gompert resigned in December. Former Mayor Hylan responded to critics that Gompert was under attack because he had 'built too many schools to suit those that do not want the children educated.'
"The Board of Education's Joint Committee of Architects and Engineers issued its report in 1928 and called Gompert's schools 'in general honest, safe, efficient and appropriate to the purpose.'
"In his nearly five years as school architect,Gompert was credited with overseeing the design and construction of some 170 new schools and additions, including