610 RENOVATIONS
610 RENOVATIONS the library
With the 2020–2021 school year behind us, we look ahead with hope and optimism. We also do so with an enduring commitment to building a more cohesive school and ensuring its sustainability for today’s and tomorrow’s students. The School is pleased to resume planning for a multiyear renovation of 610 East 83rd Street. Addressing the needs of our historic schoolhouse has long been the eagerly awaited follow-up to constructing 590, and Brearley will embark on one project at a time, during the summers. the middle and upper school library
The 610 renovations will start with the library, which will move to the 10th floor, where it will accommodate almost twice as many students than the current ground-floor library. In its new location, the library will be designed with adjustable shelving for the Middle and Upper School’s collection of twenty thousand books and periodicals, two seminar rooms and exhibit areas for student art and works from the School’s extensive archives. The library’s digital collection will remain a key resource as librarians continue to provide girls with online research instruction. The larger space will enable expanded programming in the evening hours, which will be especially helpful for Upper School student collaboration and for those with longer commutes, who can use the time for study before returning home each day.
sustainability goals
Environmental sustainability is a priority for 610’s renovation plans and system upgrades, along with adding insulation to the 90-yearold building. Additionally, the School is exploring other opportunities to increase 610’s energy efficiency. costs
Renovations to 610 will be supported by new philanthropic gifts to the School, and the timing of each project will be contingent upon fundraising. Before we begin work on any project, the majority of the approved budgeted cost must be committed in gifts and pledges and a large portion paid in gifts. This prudent approach will support the 610 renovation effort while safeguarding the School’s other funding priorities, including our leadership position in compensation for faculty and staff and tuition assistance for families with financial need. progress
We look forward to sharing next steps in this exciting and vital endeavor with you. As part of our campus plan, renovating our 92-yearold building is a transformative opportunity that will further enhance the well-being of our community and advance our academic and co-curricular programs for generations to come.
following projects
After completion of the library, 610 renovations will continue with the art classrooms, which will relocate to the 12th floor and have additional space on the 11th floor for a digital media lab; the cafeteria, which will move to the 1st floor and become a new hub for nourishment and community connection; the lobby, which will be restored to include the original fireplace; and the Assembly Hall, on A- and B-Deck, which will be upgraded to a flexible theater space.
Right: Stacking diagram of the proposed renovations in 610 East 83rd Street. The projects will occur in phases over the summers, all with an eye to improving the environmental sustainability of the 1929-constructed building. Next pages: Conceptual rendering of the 10th floor Middle and Upper School library. Along with an increase in space, features of the new library will include natural light and river views. Before- and after-school hours will facilitate individual and group study.
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