Facility The 55th Street School was founded by Marilyn Ostrom and Ruth Bachrach in 1985. The school resides in a spacious house which provides a permanent space for reading areas, art centers, housekeeping area, block building, Lego table, and water and sand tactile tables. The diversity of the school's yard lends itself to active and creative outdoor play. The arrangement of this space facilitates both self-initiated and teacher-initiated activities, as well as creative play -- which is an extremely important part of the learning process.