Why Spence’s Madison Avenue Expansion Is Stalled

The Spence School’s attempt to expand its lower school has run into a familiar obstacle: Carnegie Hill’s historic district and the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission. In January 2025, Spence purchased a $10 million pair of rowhouses at 1307–09 Madison Avenue with plans to connect them to the William Goadby Loew House on East 93rd Street, where its youngest students have been housed for more than two decades.

The proposal called for a gut renovation of the rowhouses, nine additional classrooms, a larger cafeteria and kitchen, a full-size STEM lab, and a nearly 40-foot vertical expansion. Architects also sought to install geothermal equipment and a ball cage rising roughly 20 feet above the new roof, while removing a historic pediment that stretches across the three rowhouse façades.

Local reaction was sharp. The community board’s landmarks committee declined to recommend the Madison Avenue work, and preservationists like Carnegie Hill Neighbors argued the bulk and height would overwhelm a low-scale streetscape. The full community board later sided with Spence, but on July 28 the Landmarks Preservation Commission—whose sign-off is required—issued no decision, which preservation advocates read as a clear signal to revise the plan.

The dispute also has a commercial edge: for decades the rowhouses’ ground floor housed Patrick Murphy’s, a neighborhood grocery store, and its departure is now seen as a loss of retail vitality on a shopping strip. Spence says the Madison Avenue site is a “rare option for potential growth,” while opponents expect a continued fight.

Inside Carnegie Hill’s Pushback and the Private-School Space Race

Why Landmarks Held Back

The commission’s non-decision on July 28 was not silence but a message. One commissioner said the vertical additions were “honestly just much too overwhelming to the existing buildings,” which preservationists described as polite in tone but devastating in substance. In landmarks review, no vote means the project has not died, but it cannot move forward in its current form.

The Private-School Real Estate Arms Race

Spence is not alone in seeking a larger physical footprint. The article connects the plan to a broader competition among New York private schools: Nightingale-Bamford broke ground on a 64,000-square-foot athletic center, Marymount built a ten-story upper campus, and Browning converted a former Hertz garage into a 60,000-square-foot high school. Educational consultant Emily Glickman said parents now expect “the resources of a college campus delivered to a 12-year-old,” which helps explain why Spence is pursuing nine additional classrooms, a STEM lab, and more dining space even though its student population has grown by only five since 2019.

Who Gains and Who Loses If the Project Moves Ahead

Spence would gain classroom capacity, a full-size STEM lab, a larger kitchen, a play deck, and room to bring fifth-graders back to the lower school from East 91st Street. Its families, who pay $71,000 a year, would see upgraded facilities. But neighbors and preservationists say the bargain is lopsided: they would lose a historic pediment, a ground-floor grocery space, and the low-scale character of that stretch of Madison Avenue. Helene Golay, whose Corner Bookstore sits at the end of the block, fears years of cranes, scaffolding, and construction disruption could put her business at risk.

What Comes Next for Spence, Neighbors, and the Landmarks Process

  • For Spence’s leadership: The July 28 non-decision means the current 40-foot vertical addition is unlikely to be approved as submitted. A revised filing will probably need to reduce height, preserve or restore the pediment, or separate the ball cage and geothermal equipment from the roofline.
  • For Carnegie Hill residents and businesses: No construction can begin while the Landmarks application remains unresolved, but Spence has signaled it will not yield easily—expect a revised proposal and another public hearing rather than withdrawal.
  • For the school’s project team: The commission’s objection focused on massing over the existing rowhouses, so design changes that keep rooftop equipment below the cornice line or retain the historic façade would directly address the stated basis for the hold.
  • For other Upper East Side private schools: This is the latest sign that landmarked districts can slow, but not necessarily stop, expansion; Spence’s earlier Loew House fight took eight Landmarks hearings before a compromise was reached.

Risk & Opportunity Assessment

Commercial RiskMediumSpence has already committed $10 million to 1307–09 Madison Avenue; prolonged Landmarks review or forced design changes could raise redevelopment cost and delay the nine-classroom capacity gain.
Competitive RiskMediumRival Upper East Side private schools including Nightingale-Bamford, Marymount, and Browning have recently completed or begun large facilities; a stalled Spence project risks leaving its lower school behind in the amenities race parents now expect.
Regulatory RiskHighThe project sits in Carnegie Hill’s historic district and requires Landmarks Preservation Commission approval; the commission’s July 28 non-decision directly blocks work until a revised plan addresses its stated concerns about massing.
Reputation RiskMediumNeighborhood anger, the loss of Patrick Murphy’s ground-floor retail, and public criticism of the vertical bulk put Spence’s claim to be a “trusted and valued community partner” under strain.
Technology DisruptionLowThe geothermal equipment and STEM lab are new systems, but the dispute is about land use and massing, not a threat to the school’s educational model.
Commercial OpportunityMediumIf approved after revision, the expansion would add nine classrooms, a full-size STEM lab, larger kitchen, play deck, and dining capacity, strengthening Spence’s offering for families paying $71,000 a year.