St. Luke’s School (SLS) shares a historically preserved West Village block with the Church of St. Luke in the Fields and the beloved St. Luke in the Fields Gardens. 

ABA, in conjunction with the church and a private developer, worked on behalf of the school to guide this project through a highly visible approval process at the Landmarks Preservation Commission. We refined the design concept to obtain a larger bulk than the school at first thought possible, ultimately expanding the school’s options and strengthening its economic viability. 

ABA Studio’s project for SLS involved a 17,000 SF, two-story addition to an existing three-story building, held under a new 50-year lease from the church. The new spaces include a 4,000 SF gymnasium, classrooms, and offices. 

The existing school consisted of two structures: a two-story building with basement, designed and built for school use in 1955, and a three-story former convent building from 1929. Our project aimed to knit these together, incorporating architectural details from both into the addition.

The structural system of the St. Luke’s addition works independently from that of the original building below. Silman designed eight new 36” square “supercolumns” that thread down through the existing building to bedrock.  These new columns support giant trusses at the east and west sides, minimizing the need for intermediate columns that would have significantly disrupted the spaces below. This solution required extensive coordination with the DOT and PATH tunnels

The renovations within the existing building included a new elevator for ADA accessibility, new fire alarm system, expanded electrical service, and new sprinkler/standpipe system. Future phases will add a 3,000 SF enclosed rooftop playground.