A major New York preservation and civic-rebuilding project pairs the retention of historic fabric with a new, all-electric community center, public art and the return of five displaced neighborhood organizations.
70 Mulberry Street, Chinatown, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
About this story
New York City broke ground on a $184 million reconstruction of 70 Mulberry Street, the former Public School 23 building designed by C.B.J. Snyder and built in 1892. The eight-story replacement will retain two stories of the original façade and the historic stairwell, and provide a permanent home for five returning organizations: CPC Chinatown Senior Citizen Center, United East Athletic Association, Chen Dance Center, Museum of Chinese in America and Chinatown Manpower Project. Program includes six community rooms, a senior-center kitchen, a sixth-floor multipurpose room for up to 475 people, and landscaped terraces facing Mulberry and Bayard Streets. The all-electric project is planned with three elevators, a rooftop solar canopy and building-integrated photovoltaics; the city says renewable systems could generate up to 30% of annual electricity demand and that the building is expected to achieve LEED Platinum. Public artwork Wings of Everchange by Jennifer Wen Ma will incorporate salvaged fire debris, glass sculpture, painting and community oral histories. Grimshaw is the design firm; Hunter Roberts Construction Group is construction manager. The January 2020 fire destroyed the upper floors and displaced the building’s tenants.
Status and timeline
Groundbreaking announced November 10, 2026. Construction is expected to finish in 2030.
Design highlights
Preserves two stories of the historic façade and the original stairwell while adding an eight-story, accessible community facility. Renewable-energy features include façade-integrated photovoltaics and a rooftop solar canopy. The public artwork uses salvaged objects from the fire and community oral histories to connect the building’s past and future.
