The Manhattan Country School purchased the building at 150 West 85th street for $28 million last month and is seeking permission to build higher. The building was formerly home to the Mannes School, The New School for Music, which will vacate at the end of this school year.
On Wednesday, the school will present its plan to a community board committee. Elaine Felhandler sent the notice below, which includes an image of the public hearing notice along with a request for neighbors to come and voice their opinions.
“This is a mid-block building on the south side of the block. Any increase in bulk or height will diminish the sunlight afforded to the north side of 85th St, which is landmarked (the south side is not landmarked).”
It’s not clear how many floors the school wants to add. Manhattan Country School’s expansion has reportedly been controversial among some people at the school, whose main location is at 7 East 96th street. A description of the school from a recent Wall Street Journal makes it sounds pretty intriguing:
“Manhattan Country School has long prided itself on being different. Graduation requirements include the ability to milk a cow. Children as young as 4 years old collaborate with teachers on creating their own classroom jobs. And the private school’s commitment to diversity and inclusion surges past lip service: Tuition is calculated as a limited percentage of each family’s income.”
Correction: we initially wrote incorrectly that the Mannes School had already moved.
Oh, yaay! More Rich People coming in to build Bigger and Bigger buildings that will serve only other Rich People! Yaay!
Seriously, I look forward to the cultural interactions (shall we say) between the private-school Princes of the Universe (once they’ve finished milking their daily cows, of course) and their scholarly public-school colleagues from Brandeis High, right next door.
Oh, yeah. *That* will be fun to watch!
I believe there is now a charter elementary school within/sharing (?) the Brandeis building…
Totally wrong information…Mannes has not vacated. It is very much in session in the W 85th building, and will be used at least through June.
Thanks for pointing that out. We corrected the error. WSR
Cato, you might want to look at the mission of manhattan country school. Founded on the principles of dr Martin Luther king, jr, the school offers a true sliding scale tuition and has a commitment to socio-economic and racial diversity – there is no racial majority at the school. As far as neighbors, it could be much worse.
the Gaynor school on 89th st that bought the old Claremont Stables has been building higher for nearly 5 yrs AND COUNTING.
Isn’t this building on the South side of West 85th Street?
Thanks. We’ve edited the quote (with Elaine’s permission) to correct that. WSR
Great news, Manhattan Country Day is very progressive, and nice for families to have more school options.
I hope the crazy West Side NIMBYs don’t go nutso on this one, like they do with every other project in the neighborhood.
When I go to Mannes on West 85th I enter a building on SOUTH side of block – not north as was stated in the article.
Quite a neighborhood wake-up! Honking limo/uber drivers dropping off little ones, double parking, etc. twice a day, with no regard for the community that coexists.
Go for it liberals and attack the private schools as brat central.
But we all know this. No one fears these kids after school or worries about muggings. I wish the same could be said for public schools. And with this “progressive” administration (i.e pro teachers union, anti charter) things will only get worse.
of course private school kids never commit crimes.
https://www.crimelibrary.com/notorious_murders/not_guilty/park/1.html
so now the UFT somehow has culpability in muggings and the incredible atmosphere of fear that has descended upon NYC…
please stop trying to pick fights.
I don’t get the hypcracy of “caring for the kids” and backing the all powerful UFT where you can’t fire a teacher, thousands make over $100K in retirement, and block charter schools that actually work.
I am for anything that can help break the cycles of poverty, hopelessness (that leads to crime an worse) that some think are they way things should be.
Right now that hope is charter schools. Lets take what they are doing and expand it to the whole system! oh wait, the UFT will block that too.
you make highly inflammatory remarks, and then when someone makes some mildly sarcastic reply, you say “stop tying to pick fights”?
whatever one thinks of the Charter School movement (in fact, like public schools, some charters are good and some aren’t — and i think the UFT actually runs one or more charters), it is hard to believe that anyone is trying to blame even 1% of crime on the UFT! and it doesn’t seem that you are in touch with either public school teachers or parents. Many if not most of the public schools on the UWS are very good. almost all UFT members are hard working and do an excellent job.
it is true that the charters don’t have to take the “problem” kids, or can expel them. which is a big issue for the public schools.
i think very few retired teachers are bringing in 100K annual pensions. just for clarification, city workers pay into the pension plan — it is a form of deferred compensation. so what you get is based on what you made and the length of your tenure. my bet is that if there are 100K school pensions, they are going to former supervisors, administrators, principals.
you seem to be angry at everyone in this city other than landlords!
South side!
Where will Mannes relocate?
Mannes will be downtown with the rest of the New School…facilities on East 13th.
Our daughter attended Manhattan Country in its old location. It is not a rich person’s school, but, as another writer indicated, a truly progressive and diverse institution. Plus, it teaches its students to think. You would be very impressed with a list of its graduates– they occupy places in the arts, sciences, professions, and non-profits across the country and around the world. And, in my experience, they are truly color blind — they will make excellent west side neighbors.
Rich kids will commit crimes on Wall Street.
But isn’t the Mannes building a landmark itself? Isn’t it McKim, Meade & White?
the school is named manhattan country school not manhattan country day school is a different school
Manhattan country school not manhattan country day school
Thanks, fixed.