Photos by Stacie Joy
News arrived in February that the Chelsea-based Joyce Theater signed a one-year lease for the former Boys' Club of New York, the 7-story building at 287 E. 10th St. and Avenue A.
The nonprofit organization was soon in a soft-open mode. The Joyce has made available a handful of studios at subsidized rates for dance artists, including space specifically for tap and percussive artists. There are also studios open for local dance companies and businesses to hold rehearsals, auditions classes, workshops ... or other gallery-arts uses. (Deer Gallery unveils its inaugural exhibit on Thursday featuring work by East Village-based photographer-artist Steven Hirsch.)
As Joyce Foundation officials announced in February:
The Joyce aims to continue offering community services and amenities with an emphasis on the performing arts and especially dance. Eventually, The Joyce Theater Foundation hopes to make the Tompkins Square Park-adjacent building a hub for local and international artists and companies alike as they create works that will reach audiences across the city and around the world.
EVG contributor Stacie Joy recently toured the 58,000-square-foot building ...
... with Lou Albruzzese, director of operations at The Joyce...
Here's a look inside, starting in a Joyce office... 
... Stacie also had permission to visit a few of the rehearsal spaces ...
After this first-year lease, The Joyce "intends to purchase the building to share this valuable arts-community resource on a permanent basis."
According to a statement earlier this year from Joyce officials:
The purchase, facilitated by real-estate adviser Paul Wolf of Denham Wolf Real Estate Services, is contingent upon the success of fundraising efforts over the course of the coming year. These additional funds are vital in supporting the renovation of the building, completing its transformation into an extraordinary — and much-needed — destination for the performing arts.
As we first reported in June 2018, the Boys' Club put the building on the sales market. At the time, Stephen Tosh, BCNY's executive director and CEO, said the sale of the East Village building would allow the organization to start new programs in other neighborhoods needing its services.
In August 2019, Crain's first reported that Aaron Sosnick, an East Village resident and founder of the investment fund A.R.T. Advisors LLC, was the new owner of the Harriman Clubhouse. He bought it for $31.725 million and reportedly planned to sell the property, "potentially at a substantial loss," to a nonprofit that would maintain its civic use.
E.H. Harriman founded the Boy's Club in 1876. The Harriman Clubhouse on 10th Street and Avenue A opened in 1901.
7 comments:
This is wonderful news. Thanks.
This is inspiring... to think the next generation of world famous NYC-based dancers will likely get their start in this building is something to be proud of!
Nice to see some genuinely good long-term news for the neighborhood!
A big thank you to Aaron Sosnick! I hope that the Joyce starts publicizing how to donate to the fund to buy the building permanently from Mr. Sosnick. A donation would be a great investment in the future of our neighborhood.
Having never visited the now ex-Boy's Club building this is my first look from above at that particular corner - 10th Street and Avenue A. Between work and home and home and work I've likely rounded that corner approximately 50 thousand, million hundred times. It's like one of those highway signs that read, "If you lived here you'd be home now." Over the moon to have the Joyce as our new neighbor.
My only experience at the Joyce in Chelsea brought me to tears - it was a retrospective of sorts for David Bowie. I cannot be happier that they have a presence in my neighborhood.
Thank you for the experience - looking forward to supporting your endeavors in all areas of NYC.
I work for Mr. E.H. Harriman of the Union Pacific railroad and he has entrusted me........
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