The New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) joined Department of Education officials, P.S. 33 Principal Lynette Santos, and elected officials to mark the start of construction of a new, state-of-the-art, 388-seat annex for P.S. 33 in the Fordham section of Bronx. The state-of-the art facility is anticipated to open in September 2021.
The historic P.S. 33 (Timothy Dwight School) building first opened in 1899 but is currently at 118% percent capacity. The new annex will reduce overcrowding and will be fully accessible, air-conditioned, and will include at least 23 new instructional spaces for pre-k through grade 2 and special education students. Other amenities will include:
- reading / speech resource room;
- library;
- project room;
- medical suite;
- supervisory office;
- parent room;
- cafeteria;
- exercise room;
- playground.
“The Bronx is well known for having some of most beautiful and historic school buildings in the world, and P.S. 33 is certainly no exception,” said Lorraine Grillo, President and Chief Executive Officer of the New York City School Construction Authority. “Now, it’s time to meet the increasing demand for seats at P.S. 33 and throughout District 10 as a result of new housing development.”
“Thanks to Mayor de Blasio and our collaborative efforts with the community and our elected officials, I’m proud to say that we funded 2, 948 news seats in our 2015-2019 capital plan and have allocated funds for 3,336 additional seats across District 10 as part of our new 2020-2024 Five Year Capital Plan,” Grillo added.
“Today’s groundbreaking is a major milestone for the Jerome Avenue Neighborhood plan and the school children of this community,” said Council Member Fernando Cabrera. “P.S. 33 Annex tells the story of neighbors who came together, with elected officials and city agencies to ensure that our kids can get an education in a new, well-equipped, state of the art learning environment. Community School District 10 is one of the most overcrowded school districts in New York City. This $45 million annex will create an additional 388 classroom seats for P.S. 33 students. Throughout the process of developing the Jerome Avenue Neighborhood plan, I affirmed my commitment to this community by insisting on investments in housing, healthcare, economic development and education. Today I’m very of the work we did together as we begin the construction process of the P.S. 33 Annex.”
“As our community continues to grow, overcrowding becomes a more prominent issue. This new addition will give more space to P.S. 33, so that it can carry on in its mission of bettering every single student who comes through its doors,” said Assembly Member Victor M. Pichardo. “I want to thank the Mayor, the City Council, the New York School Construction Authority, and Principal Lynette Santos for all their invaluable work in ensuring that these students have the space and resources needed to grow and thrive in.”
“Schools are about the future; they lie at the heart of a thriving community. So, I am especially pleased that the SCA is breaking ground on a new school building in the heart of the Jerome Avenue Corridor, fulfilling a promise of the comprehensive Jerome Avenue neighborhood plan. Hats off to Council Members Cabrera and Gibson, and the community leaders who worked so hard to ensure that Bronx children can continue to grow smart and strong,” said Department of City Planning Director Marisa Lago.
The PS 33 annex is a key part of the educational initiatives that were included in the Jerome Avenue Rezoning Plan that was approved by the City Council in March 2018. Some other SCA projects in the plan include:
- a new, 476-seat elementary school at 2355 Morris Avenue to open in September 2023;
- a new, 572-seat elementary school at 1302 Edward L. Grant Highway in District 9 to open in September 2023; and
- a new “stand-alone gymnasium” at PS 246 on the Grand Concourse that will be ready in September 2020.
In addition, as part of the SCA’s Public Art for Public Schools program, permanent public artwork will be included in the new annex. The artist selected for the commission is Adam Parker Smith. Smith was commissioned under the Public Art for Public Schools “Sites for Students” program for which he will conduct a series of student workshops in conjunction with his new artwork. The artwork is planned for the lobby and 1st floor main corridor.
Instruction will not be interrupted during construction of the annex.
The contract award for the new annex was awarded to Navillus Contracting and was designed through a collaboration with the SCA and Mitchell Giurgola Architects LLP.
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About the SCA
The School Construction Authority’s (SCA) mission is to design and construct safe, attractive and environmentally sound public schools for children throughout the many communities of New York City. We are dedicated to building and modernizing schools in a responsible, cost-effective manner while achieving the highest standards of excellence in safety, quality and integrity.
Established by the New York State Legislature in December 1988, the SCA has provided over 265,000 new school seats, not including Temporary Classroom Units (TCUs), to New York City students, opened the nation’s largest free Universal Pre-Kindergarten (UPK) network providing almost 8,800 seats under the Mayor’s UPK initiative and protected, repaired and upgraded over 1,800 schools in over 1,400 school buildings with over 12,500 capital improvement projects.
