About the Wunsch Building
On October 25, 1996, the Wunsch Building was renamed and reopened for Polytechnic University and remains today as the Office of Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions of New York University. The two entreprenuers that contributed to the restoration and rebuilding of the former Greek Revival Church were Joseph and Samuel Wunsch who were alumni of Polytechnic.
These two brothers were allowed for the current state of the Wunsch Building as it is. Their family donated $2 million for the restoration of the building. They were both mechanical engineers who were passionate about their studies and wanted to give back to their academic life. Though the brothers never donated the money themselves, Joseph Wunsch's son, Martin Wunsch contributed to the building's establishment. According to a New York Times article written October 27, 1996, Martin Wunsch said that he "wanted a memorial" for his father and uncle. The article stated that Wunsch emphasized, ''the university needed a student center. I, being an antiquarian of sorts, said, 'Let's restore it as it would have been.'" Thus, along with their family, these two brothers brought a piece of history in NYU Tandon's story today.
As mentioned, this New York Times article involved an interview with Martin Wunsch who had ensured that the building was restored and committed to academia at the Polytechnic Institute. Today, the Wunsch building retains its name as the Wunsch Building as the Office of Undergraduate and Graduate Admissions at New York University. This article shows how prominent education and universities were at the time, establishing the importance of Brooklyn Poly at the time. Furthermore, there was a rapid acceptance of the "Ex-church" and the renaming of the building to two wealthy brothers. This is a pattern that can be traced throughout this period of time in many Northeastern urban centers.
This is a pamphlet given to attending audience members at the Polytechnic University's opening of the Wunsch Building post-restoration. It recognizes Martin Wunsch and Elise Wunsch as the individuals that made the memorial to the Wunsch brothers possible. The program is highlighted on the following pages, providing an agenda of speechs and presentations that were given at the opening. Some of the individuals that gave speeches at these event were Congressman Edolphus Towns and the President of Polytechnic University.
An Analysis
It must be recognized that the Wunsch Building was established approxiamately 30 years after the passing of the Civil Rights Act. Prior to this, segregation between people of color and white Americans still existed. In fact, Brooklyn Poly was predominantly white as well. While it is not in any archival resources, it can be assumed that there were many actions done during this time similar to the renaming of the Bridge Street Church. These simple, seemingly naive, acts inherently erase the culture and the history of a building. Interestingly, there is little information regarding the process of acquisition and renaming. In other words, there is no proof of displacement of Black communities and religious communities within the area. Again, this is likely due to the pattern of concealment observed in larger corporations.