Public School on Governors Island Begins Expansion Project
The Harbor School, a public high school on Governors Island, broke ground on a $50 million expansion on November 7 that will double its campus from two to four buildings and add new classrooms, a competition-sized pool and gymnasium, and laboratories to support the school’s unique maritime and environmental curriculum. Together, these projects will add 445 new seats to the Harbor School’s capacity. The expansion will also renovate the historic Building 555 — a designated landmark structure built in 1938 — to create 32,000 square feet of additional classroom space. Built in 1938 as housing for Army families, in the era when Governors Island was a military post and closed to the public, Building 555 will be updated with a new entrance, modern windows, and updated ventilation systems.
City Council member Christopher Marte noted that the original plans for the project did not include a large swimming pool, which the Harbor School’s leadership deemed essential for its aquatic curriculum. “We have been working with the Harbor School staff and parents to advocate for a full-sized competitive pool,” he said. “The School Construction Authority has heard our call and committed to creating an incredible facility for one of our district’s most unique public high schools. The lack of access to a competitive-sized swimming pool left a significant gap in this education. The addition of this pool shows the power of community activism and the willingness of the School Construction Authority to work with parents and staff.”
Tricia Joyce, who chairs the Youth and Education Committee of Community Board 1, said the panel, “is thrilled that the Harbor School will finally have their long-awaited aquatics center on Governors Island. The School Construction Authority and the Trust for Governors Island responded to PTA and community feedback to find a solution, and the location and design of the new building will make this special program for environmental science and maritime careers on the water whole at last.”
The Harbor School is managed by the Urban Assembly, a nonprofit organization that works with public schools to serve students better, with an emphasis on innovative, data-driven learning tools and programs. At the Harbor School, the program offers a college-preparatory education built upon New York City’s maritime economy, with a focus on environmental stewardship. The Urban Assembly has also created a range of maritime- and marine science career and technical education programs, along with work-based learning that leads to industry certification, preparing students for success either a vocational career or college. The Harbor School also partners with public-service initiatives, like the Billion Oyster Project.
At the groundbreaking, Mayor Eric Adams predicted, “the additional classroom and training space will help us ensure that our kids benefit from the 400,000 green jobs our city will host by 2040. Harbor School graduates will work on the wind turbines that will power 500,000 homes in our City, and invent green technologies that we can’t even imagine yet, and more.”