Hell's Kitchen Settlement House Saved From Building Sale

HELL'S KITCHEN, NY — A settlement house that has provided community services in Hell's Kitchen for more than a century will not have to sell its building after reaching a deal to partially convert the space into supportive housing, City Council Speaker Corey Johnson announced.

The 121-year-old Hartley House's building on West 46th Street between Ninth and 10th avenues will be renovated to include units of supportive housing developed by the non-profit Clinton Housing Development Corporation in a new plan that includes funding from the City Council, Johnson said.

With the aid of a $220,000 discretionary allocation from the council, Hartley House will be able to continue providing social services such as an after school and summer day camp, adult education classes and job training, high school equivalency exam prep and services for new immigrants.

Things were looking grim for the Hell's Kitchen institution when it listed its West 46th Street building for sale and moved its programs into rented space earlier this year, Johnson said.

"It was slated to close, they were going to have to sell the building," Johnson said in a videotaped statement. "But through a community effort, a grassroots effort with local elected officials and my office with other amazing community activists came together to save this very important community resource."

Hartley House will also be aided in providing social services going forward by the non-profit Hudson Guild, which provides free and low-cost services to more than 14,000 New Yorkers each year, officials said.

Photo courtesy City Council Speaker Corey Johnson