Renderings Revealed For Apartment Tower On Union Seminary Campus

MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS, NY — A Morningside Heights religious institution has released details about a plan to build the one of the neighborhood's largest housing developments to fund campus renovations.

Union Theological Seminary is partnering with developers Lendlease and L+M Development to build a new 40-story tower on its campus that will generate funds for the seminary's $125 million renovation plan.

Developers have tapped Robert A.M. Stern Architects to design the new apartment tower, which will be one of the largest developments in the generally low-rise Morningside Heights neighborhood. The firm released renderings of the planned building, which appears to dwarf the nearby Riverside Church.

In addition to market-rate housing, the new building will contain classrooms, offices, faculty residences and other institutional space for use by the seminary, according to a press release.

"Union’s mission is to educate religious and spirited leaders prepared to engage the pressing needs of the world. This project secures the future of this treasured institution and its vitally important mission, and allows us to make the critical repairs and accessibility upgrades needed while preserving the integrity and beauty of our campus," Dr. Serene Jones, President of Union Theological Seminary, said in a statement.

Union Theological Seminary's campus renovation will bring the institution's facilities up to modern standards. Work includes preservation of existing structures on the Broadway camps, located between West 120th and 122nd streets and accessibility upgrades.

As part of the project, Union Theological Seminary has also pledged to donate $5 million to neighborhood organizations fighting displacement caused by gentrification.

Funds will be distributed in three different areas: Direct investment in the Mornigside Heights community, strategic partnerships with service and advocacy organizations and developing social justice programming.

Of the money distributed by the fund, $700,000 will go directly to P.A.'L.A.N.T.E. Harlem to help with the organization's space needs and expand the group's anti-displacement programs and $400,000 will go directly to the Morningside Heights Community Fund to support social services in the neighborhood.

Renderings courtesy Robert A.M. Stern Architects/Beyer Blinder Belle