The Blue School

Founded by the members of the Blue Man Group, The Blue School has been named one of the top innovative schools in the country, with an emphasis on the arts. Its original Middle School location is at 241 Water Street in historic South Street Seaport, housed in the 32,000 sq ft ship-shaped structure that served as the former home of the Seaman’s Church Institute.

This takeover project handled by Mc Gowan entailed the expansion of the original Blue School location to the adjacent property at 233 Water Street, a former seafood warehouse from the 1940's.

The existing 2-story building was approximately 35% complete when Mc Gowan came onboard from a contractor in default.  After several meetings with the design team to review work in place and the purchase orders of subcontractors who were to be retained, the Mc Gowan team instituted an aggressive schedule to repair/replace work either not finished or incorrectly installed in order to finish the project. 

The scope of this adaptive reuse expansion covered a complete rehabilitation of the interior, including installation of classrooms, offices, bathrooms, multi-purpose sciences and arts spaces, an outdoor recreation area, a rooftop garden and a connector between the two properties.

Finishes include custom millwork, glass storefronts and doors, ACT ceilings, ceramic tile and stone, VCT and carpet flooring, and painting throughout, with all new mechanical, electrical, plumbing, sprinkler, fire alarm and low voltage systems. 

There were numerous complexities to the project, including the preservation of the building's original Seaport elements, making a careful connection between the buildings and the transformation of the warehouse into a modern learning facility.