On August 3, 2020, Harlem Academy broke ground at 655 St. Nicholas Avenue, site of its permanent home. The five-story, 29,000-square-foot building will expand the school’s impact to more students and strengthen its program.
The new campus will feature a library to match Harlem Academy’s extraordinary reading culture, flexible classrooms with strong technology, a multipurpose space, and dedicated outdoor spaces for learning, play and sports. Projected completion is August 2021.
Harlem Academy purchased the half-acre lot at 655 St. Nicholas Ave. seven years ago as the future site of its new campus. The new location offers convenient access from throughout Harlem, Washington Heights and the Bronx and is located near historic landmarks, parks, Columbia University and City College.
“After years of planning, support and hard work by so many, it is inspiring to see construction begin on our new school building in the heart of the communities we serve,” says Founder and Head of School Vinny Dotoli. “Our new home will ensure a lasting pathway to opportunity for generations of leaders to come.”
Founded in 2004, Harlem Academy is a private school for grades 1-8 with a mission to drive equity of opportunity for promising students. The school currently operates out of three rented, noncontiguous storefronts.
The school fills a critical gap in the education landscape as the only independent elementary school in Manhattan focused on high-potential students from underserved communities.
Harlem Academy drives equity of opportunity for promising students, guiding them to thrive at the highest academic levels and one day make a mark on the world. The school’s graduates have moved on to attend some of our nation’s top secondary schools and universities––including Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Howard, NYU, RPI, Princeton, Wesleyan, and Yale.
Architecture firm Perkins Eastman designed the new building, and the building contractor is EW Howell. For more information about Harlem Academy’s capital campaign in support of the new campus, “Future Leaders: The Campaign for Harlem Academy,” visit www.harlemacademy.org.