• This Month on WestView News
  • Featured
  • Monthly Columns
  • Editorials
  • Articles
  • Briefly Noted
  • WestViews
  • Photos
  • Front Page
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
  • Advertise
  • EXTRA
WESTVIEW NEWS
Menu
  • This Month on WestView News
  • Featured
  • Monthly Columns
  • Editorials
  • Articles
  • Briefly Noted
  • WestViews
  • Photos
 › Art & Architecture › Neighborhood › News › Real Estate/Renting › A New Middle School for the West Village

A New Middle School for the West Village

Web admin 11/08/2018     Art & Architecture, Neighborhood, News, Real Estate/Renting

By Ananth Sampathkumar, Partner NDNY Architecture + Design

THE SCHOOL THAT TOOK A QUARTER CENTURY TO BUILD: Parents of the children who are entering Middle School 297 on Morton Street were children themselves when the school was originally proposed. Photo by Ananth Sampathkumar.

Middle School 297 NYC moved into its new location at 75 Morton Street this fall. The school officially opened in 2017 and had been sharing space with The Clinton School near Union Square for a year, while the building was under construction. In the mid 2000’s, parent groups banded together to rally for a new middle school in the West Village and the building at 75 Morton Street seemed to be a good location for it. The seven-storey structure had been owned and occupied by the State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPDD). The building had to be transferred to the Department of Education before any work could begin. The transfer was completed in 2012 and work began on adaptively converting the building for its new purpose. ‘75 Morton Community Alliance’ was the official coalition of interested families that worked with Community Board 2, Department of Education and the School Construction Authority to provide input not only on the design of the building, but also the curriculum for the new middle school.
The original building dates back to 1919 and it was intended for offices and storage. The structure had undergone a number of renovations over the years. Ciardullo Architecture Planning were the architects while DeMatteis Construction Corporation were the contractors behind the successful renovation. What used to be a drab masonry façade with modest window openings has been converted to a school for 5-8th graders with generous amounts of daylight that filters in through the generous high-performance glazed windows. A rainscreen terracotta cladding adds color and warmth to the facade. The new lobby was created in the old loading dock area and access provided from both Morton and Barrow Streets. The rounded corner of the original structure was squared off, which per the Architect, was a nod to the substantive improvements on the existing building.
According to the School’s website, the 177,000-square-foot, seven-story building is handicap-accessible and includes science labs, dance studio, art and music rooms, a cafeteria on the ground floor and a double height Gymnatorium with retractable seating. The coolest feature however, is a new green roof that was made possible by generous donations from local politicians.
MS 297 will be the zoned Middle school for District 2 west of 6th Avenue. The new building at 75 Morton is shared with a new special education middle school P751 that occupies the lower floors of the building. Moving into the new building for the academic year 2018, with an existing 7th grade and a new 6th grade, the students will no doubt help personalize the space adding character and allure to the stark interior spaces. While MS 297 embarks on its journey in their new building, parents in the West Village are glad to see that 75 Morton is here to stay.

 Previous Post

West Village Images by Joel Gordon

Next Post 

Ambitiously Pursuing a More Vibrant 7th Avenue South Neighborhood

Related Articles

Where Have All the Theaters Gone?
A Billionaire Bully Slumlord
The Right Pick
LATE BREAKING NEWS…
Buggy Whips vs Batteries
Opening the New Rooftop Park at Pier 57
Publisher with Commitment
Washington Square Park SOS Instagram Keeps Tabs on Police and Predators
The Board Meeting at St. Vincent’s
Greenwich Village Little League’s 2022 Opening Day
A Rabbi for the Village and for All Time: Irving J. Block
Yoga Therapy—What It Is & How to Get Started
Beth Soll & Company to Premiere Four Dances and a New Film at Westbeth
A Pre-War Building in the West Village
LOCAL STREETSCAPES: NYU’s Mercer Street ‘Zipper” Building
The West Village: A Place to Belong
City Councilman Erik Bottcher Delivers Essential Supplies with Innovative Nonprofit, ShelterShare
An Unsung Hero of the West Village: How a Ukrainian Doctor Is Helping Her Homeland
Notes From Away: It’s a Long Way To Tipperary
Working on the Permanent Open Restaurant Program
The Changing Earth: Monotypes by Claire Rosenfeld
Village Diary: Westbeth, Ben, and Beyond
Shoplifting Besieges the West Village
TikTokers Convene at Washington Square Park
Jane Jacobs Deserves A Statue
Village Diary: “Quiet!” She Shouted
Red “W” Goes Out
George Capsis is on a Mission to Bring a Hospital to Our West Village
Culture and Cuisine: Art Review—Alejando Otaola’s Tale as Old as Time
Culture & Cuisine
LOCAL STREETSCAPES: 100 Vandam St. at Greenwich St.
LOCAL STREETSCAPES: 555 Greenwich St. at King St.
West Village Housing Settles Election Lawsuit
LOCAL STREETSCAPES
Stephen B. Jacobs, FAIA, Creative Architect of NYC, Dies at 82
Village Diary: Now and Evermore
A Moment to Reflect and Look Ahead
Our Kids Need a Hospital

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

May 2022

Subscribe Now

May 2022

Donate Now

 

Read the Archives

Copyright © WestView News
 

Loading Comments...