The National Urban League’s has opened its new headquarters at the Urban League Empowerment Center at 117 West 125th Street in Harlem, Manhattan. The $242 million mixed-use development represents a major public-private partnership between Empire State Development (ESD), the City of New York, and private developers, marking the organization’s return to its Harlem roots where it was founded in 1910. Governor Kathy Hochul joined ESD president and CEO Hope Knight, community leaders, and development partners to celebrate the grand opening.
The Urban League Empowerment Center spans a 42,000-square-foot site between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Lenox Avenue/Malcolm X Boulevard. The project includes 170 affordable and supportive housing units, 66,000 square feet of retail space anchored by Trader Joe’s and Target, 75,000 square feet of office space, and 55,000 square feet of community facilities. The National Urban League’s new national headquarters and the future Urban Civil Rights Museum in Harlem will anchor the complex. Development partners include BRP Companies, L+M Development Partners, Taconic Partners, and the National Urban League, with support from both City and State agencies.
State support for the project included more than $20 million from ESD and additional financing from New York State Homes and Community Renewal, which provided federal tax credits generating $34.7 million in equity, along with $31.1 million from the Supportive Housing Opportunity Program, $11.7 million in permanent tax-exempt bonds, and $3 million from the Federal Housing Trust Fund. The project reflects more than a decade of collaboration between ESD and the New York City Economic Development Corporation to advance affordable housing, job creation, and economic inclusion along the 125th Street corridor.
The Urban League Empowerment Center is accessible via multiple subways, including the 2 and 3 trains at 125th Street and Lenox Avenue; the A, B, C, and D trains at 125th Street and St. Nicholas Avenue; and the 4, 5, and 6 at 125th Street and Lexington Avenue.
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Very nice.
Very handsome design.
Just in time for the Harlem gentrification.