Boys’ Club to Open 33K-SF Clubhouse in the Bronx

Youth development organization The Boys’ Club of New York (BCNY) has signed a 25-year net lease for the entire 33,000-square-foot building at 565 Morris Avenue in the Bronx, Commercial Observer has learned.

Stephen Powers, Lindsay Ornstein, Alexander Smith and Chloe Holder of Open Impact Real Estate represented BCNY in the transaction. Jordan Kaplan, Dean Rosenzweig, Jeremy Scholder and Jojo Lewis from CBRE represented the landlord.

The 200-year-old early education center Sheltering Arms was the previous tenant but shuttered in 2023 due to “severe financial challenges resulting from the pandemic.”

Certain pre-existing features in the building and on the property — including a double-height gymnasium, a commercial kitchen and 33,000 square feet of outdoor space — made it ideal for BCNY’s plans, according to a statement from Open. 

BCNY offers after-school and Saturday programs for young men in grades 2 through 12. The organization will be converting the building into a clubhouse featuring classrooms for music, arts and media, audio engineering, computer labs, athletics and a gaming center, as well as a cooking and hydroponics area and outdoor space for projects addressing food insecurity. There will also be a rooftop garden and a gymnasium for competitive sports.

“This long-term lease is a testament to The Boys’ Club of New York’s dedication to creating a place where boys feel a true sense of belonging — a safe space that’s their own to have fun, explore and grow,” Powers, co-founder of Open, said in a statement. “By expanding into the Bronx, BCNY is fulfilling its promise to reach more neighborhoods, offering free access to music, sports and enriching activities that these kids might not have elsewhere.”

Powers noted that, including outdoor space, this deal gives BCNY a campus of over 60,000 square feet.

BCNY executive director Stephen Tosh said that the clubhouse is slated to officially open this fall, but is already beginning its integration into the community.

“This summer, we will welcome the community to stop in and share their ideas and aspirations for all boys and young men in the Bronx,” Tosh said in a statement.

This will be BCNY’s third clubhouse in New York City, following the Gerry Clubhouse at 321 East 111th Street in Harlem, and the Abbe Clubhouse at 133-01 41st Road in Flushing, Queens. BCNY also plans to open a facility in Brooklyn in the years to come.

An Open release on the deal mentions the landlord as Bronx Realty Group, while public records cite the owner as Michelangelo Preservation, noting that 565 Morris Avenue, which is also identified as 225 East 149th Street, was purchased by Michelangelo in 2017 for $78.14 million.

A representative for Open clarified by email that the dual ownership listings are the result of a ground lease, saying that Michelangelo owns the land, but was not involved in this deal.

“It’s technically a sublease from the ground lessor, which is Bronx Realty Group. They have controlled the property for 60 years or so,” Open’s representative wrote in two separate emails to CO. “Bronx Realty has a ground lease on the land, giving them control of the buildings.”

This article has been updated to clarify the property’s ownership situation.

Larry Getlen can be reached at lgetlen@commercialobserver.com.