Bill Clinton Helps Break Ground On New Harlem Boys & Girls Club

HARLEM, NY — President Bill Clinton visited Central Harlem last week to help break ground on a new Madison Square Boys & Girls Club located on West 155th Street and Bradhurst Avenue.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Clinton gave a speech and posed for photos with Boys & Girls Club kids. A letter from President George H.W. Bush was also read during the ceremony, according to a Madison Square Boys and Girls Club press release. The new clubhouse is expected to open in fall 2018, according to a press release.

“Nobody ever amounts to much without a hand-up now and then, without a pat on the back, without someone looking after them telling them it’s going to be alright," Clinton said during the ceremony. "That’s why I love the Boys and Girls Club, why I love this project, and why I’ll always be grateful to the people who stood up for me and stood up to me when I was an unruly young boy. I am grateful to the people who do the same thing here today.”

The new clubhouse, which will provide activity and educational space for area children ages 6 to 18, will be named in honor of The Pinkerton Foundation. The foundation donated money for the new clubhouse's construction, which is expected to boost the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club's membership by 1,500, according to a press release.

In September, the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club revealed renderings of the new 45,000-square-foot clubhouse, which will feature facilities such as visual arts, dance, music and production studios and a 500-square-foot Skybox overlooking a gym and nearby Jackie Robinson Park. The new center was designed by award-winning architecture firm Rogers Partners.

"The construction of The Pinkerton Clubhouse in Harlem represents a rare and significant opportunity to empower the area’s young people and create a safe and healthy environment for them to learn and grow," Joe Patuleia, Madison Square Boys & Girls Club Executive Director, said in a statement. "Our expansion into North Central Harlem—one of New York City’s most vibrant, yet underserved communities—will advance Madison’s core mission to save and enhance the lives of young people across New York City in communities most in need."

Photo courtesy Madison Square Boys & Girls Club