HUB Realty and East Harlem church partner to complete $15 million project

The Church of the Resurrection and Hub Realty, LLC have formed a unique partnership and commenced construction on a new eight-story building at 325 East 101st St., between First and Second Aves., that will house the church's new sanctuary and an expanded Booker T. Washington Learning Center along with 34 one and two-bedroom market rate luxury rentals. Aside from a new home, the church will have a 10% stake in the rental revenues from the apartments. The church and learning center will share 14,000 s/f of space on the site of the former Church building, which was originally built in the 1950s, that will include 10 classrooms, a sanctuary, an auditorium, offices and a fellowship hall that will double as cafeteria, kitchen, bookstore and computer lab for student and adult instruction. "The vision for a greatly expanded Booker T. Washington Learning Center came to the late Reverend Leroy Ricksy in 1987," said Reverend Kimberly Wright, who succeeded Reverend Ricksy as pastor of the Church of the Resurrection and executive director of the Booker T. Washington Learning Center when he passed away last year. "It is incredibly rewarding to see our vision coming to life and to have such a great partner in Hub Realty." "We've seen other churches and community institutions forced to leave East Harlem," said former State Senator, life-long resident of the neighborhood and associate of Rev. Ricksy, Frank Diaz. "But this arrangement between the Church of the Resurrection and Hub Realty is a historic one because it provides a model for how these organizations can stay anchored in the communities they serve." "As experienced developers, we fully appreciate and understand the fact that Rev. Ricksy, Rev. Wright and their organizations were looking for an investment rather than a one-time transaction," said Jared Lustbader of Hub Realty, LLC. The Booker T. Washington Learning Center, housed since 1987 in the basement of the Church of the Resurrection, serves approximately 350 families per year and provides an array of services, including a pre-school, after school programs, college-prep programs, a GED program with a 99% pass rate, art therapy and summer camp. The center's mission is to break the cycle of inadequate education, poverty and despair, which pervades East Harlem, while working to maintain a viable and hopeful community. The approximate project cost is $15 million.