NYC Public Schools to Build New 54K-SF STEAM Center in the Bronx
By Isabelle Durso June 12, 2026 9:48 am
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New York City Public Schools will open its new Bronx STEAM Center in the borough’s Pelham Bay neighborhood.
The New York City School Construction Authority (SCA), the construction arm of the city’s public school system, signed a long-term lease agreement with Simone Development to build a 54,200-square-foot educational facility at the Hutchinson Metro Center Atrium at 1776 Eastchester Road, an SCA spokesperson confirmed. Crain’s New York Business first reported the news.
Once constructed, the new STEAM Center — the acronym stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics — will cover two floors of the three-story Metro Center and provide educational programs to more than 700 students in the Bronx. The current temporary home for the STEAM Center is also within the Metro Center at the Bronx campus of Mercy University at 1200 Waters Place. It’s unclear when the work on the new facility will be completed.
The SCA negotiated the deal directly with Simone, the landlord. Further details on the lease agreement were unclear. A spokesperson for the SCA declined to comment, while a spokesperson for Simone did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The SCA, which is responsible for building new public schools and managing the design and construction of existing schools in the city, manages hundreds of construction sites across the five boroughs. Its headquarters are in Long Island City, Queens, at 25-01 Jackson Avenue, according to its website.
In June 2025, the SCA also signed a 15-year renewal for the 75,000-square-foot Robert F. Wagner Jr. Secondary School for Arts and Technology at 30-30 47th Avenue in Long Island City, otherwise known as the Factory, as Commercial Observer previously reported.
The new STEAM Center will join several other tenants at Hutchinson Metro Center Atrium, including MJHS Health System, North Bronx Orthopedic and Spine Group and Montefiore Health System.
Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.
