Thursday, January 16, 2014

☞ REMEMBER: PS 186 circa 1905


A photo from 1905 shows what PS 186 might look like once more if the owners of the property receive the much needed financing to convert the historic schoolhouse in Hamilton Heights to affordable low-income housing.  This building has been closed since the 1970s when the local community wanted the structure demolished because of its poor condition but now an effort to raise roughly $80 million to restore the building is at hand.  Financing was supposed to close at the end of 2012 but no new permits have been filed since then for the property.  Doing a quick search online we discovered that a $1.8 million low-income housing tax break was awarded to the development in later in 2013 so that is a sign that something is progressing.  Does anyone have updated information on this local landmark at 525 West 145th Street?

Check out the rendering of the proposed plan from 2012 in our past post: LINK


Archival photo courtesy the Museum of the City of New York

4 comments:

  1. I was so excited to see you post about a building I have always appreciated aesthetically and have regretted it was never re-purposed into something. That building has been left open to the elements for Years (there are trees, Trees, growing out of windows) and, as your old photo shows, it is a Beautiful building. I would worry that it is no longer structurally sound, but if it will become low-cost housing, what a nice change from the boring rectangles usually enclosing low-cost housing. I hope you are Right in what you have noticed/researched (though over the yrs there have been many posted notices). It would be a Boon the the hood to hold on to such an architectural gem.

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  2. BOYS AND GIRLS CLUB OF HARLEM (BGCH)
    In 1987 BGCH acquired a vacant former public school, Public School 186, located at 521 West 145th Street from the City of New York in order to redevelop it as a mixed-use building that would include new faculties for BGCH and other community facility space. The proposed project includes construction of a approximately 200,000 square foot new building consisting of a 25,000 square foot facility for BGCH, approximately 120 units of affordable housing, 71,500 square feet of community facility space and 7,000 square feet of space to be occupied by the Hamilton Grange United State Post Office, currently located across the street from the Site at 523 West 146th Street.
    Status: The build program for the Project has been modified. Instead of demolishing the existing structure and building a larger new structure BGCH will retain and renovated the existing, landmark-eligible building which will house approximately 90 units of housing in addition to the new facility for BGCH. The community facility and retail components of the build program, for where there were no anchor tenants and for which project financing could not be secured, have been eliminated. Retention of the existing building makes the Project eligible for historic tax credit financing.

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  3. I used to walk past there when I lived off W. 146th St. I always wished it could be restored to it's former glory, much like what happened to PS 90.

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  4. No Man Bro: When will the project start, and when will it be finished?

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