The NEW School Settlement Community Center
Local families deserve a thriving, modern community center.
With your help, it can happen.
School Settlement Association was founded in 1901 and is the longest continually operating settlement house in Brooklyn. The existing facility at 120 Jackson Street is beyond its useful life, and has been approved for a complete reconstruction. For generations, private contributions raised by local business and civic leaders have supported the Center enriching services to young people and families with low-cost family, after-school, summer camp and educational enrichment activities.
Not long ago the Center benefited from a modest makeover which replaced the roof, installed a new boiler, and remodeled the gym. Continuing the rich legacy of private individual donor support, direct contributions to the School Settlement Capital Campaign will play a critical role in leveraging public contributions from New York State, New York City, foundations and individual contributions. St. Nicks Alliance has committed $1.1 million from the anticipated Greenpoint Hospital Campus developer fee and has completed preliminary design and secured approval from Community Board 1 and NYC Board of Standards and Appeal.
In addition, Borough President Eric Adams has committed $4 million to the project, and Assemblyman Joseph Lentol and City Councilman Antonio Reynoso are pursuing state and city support. As the acquisition of 211 Ainslie Street is safely preserved for the community, St. Nicks Alliance and School Settlement Association, with support of Conselyea Street Block Association and Greenpoint Renaissance Enterprise Corporation can move forward in 2017 to reboot the School Settlement Capital Campaign.
How the space will be used
There is a shocking absence of indoor recreational and performance space for children in our neighborhood. The surrounding elementary schools built in the mid-1900s lack indoor gymnasiums or auditoriums. The new School Settlement facility is vital to meet this gap in availability of space and address a shortage of out-of-school opportunities for local children.
A tree grows in Brooklyn: The new Center
The new facility will consists of 22,000 SF of fully accessible community and classroom space including a state of the art auditorium-gymnasium. The new center will also provide in-home care services for frail elderly seniors through School Settlement Home Care.
- Modern classrooms, including a computer lab
- State-of-the-art auditorium to support local theater arts
- Gymnasium for youth recreation activities
- Elevators and fully handicapped-accessible entrances
- Community office space
- School Settlement Home Care, provider of in-home care services to the frail elderly
The total cost of the proposed project is estimated at $20 million. St. Nicks Alliance will leverage public funds with individual donors and foundation contributions to make the Center a reality. For more information, please contact Ray Laszczych, Director of Development, via rlaszczych@stnicksalliance.org or 718-388-5454 +131.