Brearley School leans toward move

Independent school reportedly reviewing 20 possible sites

The Brearley School at 610 East 83rd Street
The Brearley School at 610 East 83rd Street

Private Upper East Side girls’ school the Brearley School, which has reportedly been mulling a possible move or campus expansion since December, sent a letter to parents saying the school has been reviewing 20 possible sites that would accommodate the school’s 700 students.

The K through 12 school, which was founded in 1884, has operated out of a 12-story brick building at 610 East 83rd Street since 1929. The school has been in expansion mode for several years, purchasing three buildings at 70-74 East End Avenue, on the corner of 83rd Street, in 2010. The school also previously tried to purchase half of an apartment building at 85 East End Avenue, but that deal ultimately fell through in 2010, as was reported at the time. The school also owns a 125-foot wide field house on East 87th Street.

No final decision has been made about whether to renovate and expand or move the school, school head Jane Foley Fried and board of trustees president Ellen Jewitt said in the letter.

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“If the decision was made to acquire a new site, it would be because the School has identified an even more attractive option,” the two said in the letter, which was distributed last month.

Brearley hired real estate consultant Studley Inc., now know as Savills Studley, and architectural and planning firm Gensler to conduct the search late last year. [WSJ]Julie Strickland