UES's Dalton School expansion will begin next month, despite local opposition

Despite community opposition, The Dalton School is moving forward with its plans to add a two-story addition to its existing building that will house its science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) program, DNAinfo reports.

In early 2014, the city’s Board of Standards and Appeals signed off on zoning variance that would allow the school to build this addition on top of its 13-story structure on East 89th Street between Park and Lexington Avenues.

This was despite the fact that the local community board had rejected the proposal and several local residents were opposed to the expansion. Locals complained that the addition would block sunlight and that construction would create chaos on the street. A month after the BSA’s ruling in early 2014, a group of local residents filed a lawsuit to halt construction.

The Dalton School seems to have persevered however and construction on the expansion, which will increase the height of the building from 141 feet to 171 feet is set to get underway next month. After that, construction will continue through the end of the summer. But once the fall term begins, construction will only resume in the summer of 2018, and wrap up by the following summer.

Simultaneous to this expansion, which is being designed by SOM, the school is planning renovation work on five floors within the existing building. Once complete, this new space will host a library, a robotics lab, a performance venue, and a greenhouse.

The Dalton School’s celebrity alums include Claire Danes, Christian Slater and Anderson Cooper, and the annual tuition here is currently just under $45,000.

• Dalton School to Begin 'Gargantuan' $24M Vertical Expansion in March [DNAinfo]
• Neighbors Sue To Halt Dalton School's UES Rooftop Addition [Curbed]
• In Face of Protest, City Approves Dalton Rooftop Additions [Curbed]