Upper East Side High School Celebrates New Gym After Pushing City

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — Three years after students launched a petition for a new gym at Eleanor Roosevelt High School, officials gathered Friday to officially unveil the new $6.5 million facility.

Despite being one of the city's top-performing high schools, Eleanor Roosevelt's 500 students were forced for years to hold physical activities in what its principal called a "glorified dance studio."

In 2019, students began their campaign for a new gym, starting a petition that drew 5,000 signatures within weeks. After a few months, the city's School Construction Authority agreed to build the new gym on the sixth floor of a new pre-K center at 355 East 76th Street — right across First Avenue from Eleanor Roosevelt.

"With this new gym, ERHS students can practice and play sports such as basketball and volleyball in an appropriate space," Principal Dimitri Saliani said in a statement. "The entire school community and the community at large will benefit greatly from this additional space dedicated to athletics and physical fitness."

Those in attendance for Friday's ribbon-cutting included U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, who helped lead the effort to create the school in 2002; former Councilmember Ben Kallos, whose office hosted the gym petition; and current Councilmember Julie Menin.

Those who will enjoy the new gym include students who play Eleanor Roosevelt's 12 varsity sports, ranging from football to soccer to tennis to baseball and softball.