Dwight School, an independent school on Manhattan’s Upper West Side, entered into a 20-year lease with 1199 Housing Corporation, the owner of the East River Landing housing cooperative, for a recreational facility located at 108th Street and First Avenue in East Harlem.
The comprehensive athletic facility, to be upgraded by Dwight and called the Dwight School Athletic Center, will benefit both Dwight students and the residents of the East River Landing cooperative.
The 40,000 s/f Athletic Center features a regulation-size high school gym, which will see the addition of bleachers to seat 200; a 25-yard swimming pool; exercise rooms; locker rooms and saunas; and a rooftop space, which will be recast to house two tennis courts. The Center is slated for operation in late Spring 2013.
“This is an exciting opportunity to create shared value for our neighbors in the East Harlem community and for the students and faculty of Dwight by enhancing this facility,” said Dwight School Chancellor Stephen Spahn.
“While synergy and social utility for all parties are the driving forces behind every innovative community partnership we have undertaken for the last 50 years, ultimately, we measure our success by the number of young people whose lives we touch in a positive way. Our goal is to eliminate barriers and to make the world a better place for all.”
Dwight will use the Center on weekdays for physical education and swimming classes, team practices and games of basketball, volleyball, and tennis and after-school and summer day camp programs. Joint student-resident programs such as Saturday sports clinics may be developed, and the enhancements made to the facilities will bring fitness, learning, and greater quality of life for residents of all ages.
The school will also offer scholarships to qualified residents in need.
Celebrating its 140th anniversary this year, Dwight offers a unique educational experience from preschool through grade 12 based on the School’s three pillars: personalized learning, community, and global vision.
The Dwight School was represented in the lease negotiations by Douglas Heitner, Esq., of Kasowitz, Benson, Torres & Friedman LLP.
