Madison Square Boys and Girls Club Unveils Design for New Central Harlem Center

HARLEM, NY — The Madison Square Boys and Girls Club unveiled plans for a new 45,000-square-foot flagship location in Central Harlem this week.

The new location would be the first Boys and Girls Club built from the ground up since 1970 and will be built on West 155th Street on the corner near the viaduct and Jackie Robinson Park. The new center will provide activity and educational space for area children ages 6 to 18, according to a press release.

To make the center appealing to teenagers the building will feature facilities such as visual arts, dance, music and production studios and a 500-square-foot Skybox overlooking a gym and the park, according to the press release. The new center was designed by award-winning architecture firm Rogers Partners.

“We are honored and delighted to create a vibrant new flagship for the Madison Square Boys & Girls Club and the community,” said Robert M. Rogers, founder, Rogers Partners, “Our design is conceived to create a place of opportunity, education and excitement that fosters participation, social interaction and long-lasting relationships for Madison members of all ages.”

The Central Harlem neighborhood is home to about 6,000 children under the age of 18, according to the press release. In the same area 71 percent of residents did not graduate high school, one in three adults face unemployment and five of six children live in single-parent households, according to the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club.

"Our new Clubhouse will provide access to much-needed resources for the boys and girls of Central Harlem and the surrounding community," Joseph Patuleia, Executive Director of the Madison Square Boys and Girls Club, said in a statement. "We can’t wait to welcome our members to this exceptional facility where they can grow, learn, play and thrive for generations to come."

Photo: Courtesy of Rogers Partners