Kwenda Collegiate Charter School Signs 44K-SF Lease at 2520 Church Avenue
By Mark Hallum January 7, 2025 12:04 pm
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An all-girls school is charting a new path in Flatbush, Brooklyn.
Kwenda Collegiate Girls Charter School has signed a 10-year lease for 44,114 square feet at 2520 Church Avenue, which was previously occupied by St. Gregory the Great Catholic Academy, to open its first campus, according to tenant brokers Open Impact Real Estate.
The property is owned by the neighboring Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church, according to a source with knowledge of the deal. It will be the charter school’s first location set to open in the fall, and will have access to 21 classrooms, conference space and administrative offices.
Open Impact declined to provide the asking rent in the deal, but the average asking rent for office space in Brooklyn was $54.92 per square foot in the third quarter of 2024, according to CBRE. The average asking rent for retail space in Brooklyn ranges between $200 and $400 per square foot, according to the Real Estate Board of New York.
“This lease marks an important step in Kwenda’s mission to empower young people in Brooklyn through progressive and culturally relevant education,” Open’s Jake Cinti, who represented the school with Lindsay Ornstein and Kate Whitman, said in a statement. “The flexibility of the space will allow the school to grow sustainably and thrive in an elevated educational environment.”
William O’Brien of M.C. O’Brien represented Holy Cross Roman Catholic Church in the deal. O’Brien did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Kwenda is working with McGowan Construction and Studios Architecture to renovate the space, which it will occupy in July. Students from kindergarten to fifth grade will arrive in August.
Its charter was initially approved by the SUNY Charter School Institute Trustees in 2019, but Kwenda was unable to open due to a cap on the number of charter facilities allowed in the five boroughs. It was finally approved to open in 2023, according to the school.
Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.
