West Side Montessori School Opening 11K-SF Pre-K Campus at 212 West 95th Street
By Isabelle Durso October 9, 2024 3:41 pm
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West Side Montessori School (WSMS) is expanding its campus to the newly constructed Dahlia condominium building on the Upper West Side, Commercial Observer has learned.
The school signed a 30-year lease for 11,400 square feet across three floors of United Management’s 212 West 95th Street, according to tenant and landlord broker Newmark (NMRK).
WSMS will be the first retail tenant at the base of the 20-story Dahlia, which opened to residents in 2020. The private school plans to use the space for its pre-kindergarten students, according to Newmark.
“This transaction overcame several challenges in the two years it took to complete,” Newmark’s Neal Ohm, who brokered the deal for the school along with Michael Cohen, said in a statement. “We are looking forward to seeing WSMS expand in this prime location and enhance the educational experience for students.”
Newmark’s Justin DiMare represented the landlord in the deal. Spokespeople for WSMS and United Management did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Newmark declined to provide the asking rent, but a report from Colliers found office rents in Manhattan averaged $74.07 per square foot during the third quarter of 2024.
The lease will grow WSMS’s presence in the neighborhood, which currently has two other locations in the Upper West Side: its “Multi-Age Program” at 309 West 92nd Street and its “Twos Program” at 302 West 91st Street, according to its website.
Founded in 1963, WSMS is a private, nonprofit institution that provides education to children ages 2 through 6. It will use its new spot at the Dahlia to “meet the growing demand for Montessori education in the neighborhood,” Newmark said.
The Dahlia, designed by CetraRuddy Architecture, consists of 38 units and features private on-site parking and smart home capabilities, according to its website.
Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.
