On Tuesday May 5, a crowd of Hostos students, faculty and staff eagerly gathered to see a presentation about the new Allied Health and Natural Sciences facilities that are planned for the historic Bronx General Post Office building at 558 Grand Concourse. The presentation was led by SVP of Administration and Finance Esther Rodríguez-Chardavoyne, who thanked the project’s developer, Maddd Equities’ Founder and CEO Jorge Madruga for his generosity and energetic undertaking of the massive project.


Jorge Madruga, of Maddd Equities, is developing the project for the College


Madruga, for his part, said he felt very lucky to be working on this project for an institution he holds so dear. President Daisy Cocco De Filippis, in her welcoming remarks, gratefully pointed out that not only is Madruga the project developer, but also a donor with a long history of support for the College.

 
Jim Braddock is the architect overseeing the design of the new spaces


Then, architect Jim Braddock, Partner of the firm Mitchell Giurgola – tasked with designing the new spaces –, walked the attendees through the plans for the new state-of-the-art labs, classrooms, students spaces and offices that will be built. He shared beautiful renderings of the student space in the grand lobby of the building, with its historic murals depicting “The Resources of America” that celebrate American workers and industry.

 
The historic lobby, with its marble and murals preserved, will feature a flexible student space.


With the elevators all the way at the back of the building, an important new feature of the renovation will be the central staircase being built just beyond the main entrance that will allow the students to access the floors above and below while also creating numerous comfortable seating areas for students to gather and study. 

 
 A view of the central stairs as seen from the turnstiles at the main entrance.
 

 Comfortable seating areas along the central corridor of the second floor.


 On the lower level, the stairs create a cozy nook for an informal seating area.
 

The Allied Health Department will be one of the main occupants of the newly refurbished building, with nursing labs, mock surgical suites, critical care simulation labs, and CT and radiology rooms, as well as classrooms and offices on the lower level and first floor.

 
 The Allied Health Department will have new state-of-the-art imaging rooms.


 Three nursing labs on the first floor will feature several beds each.
 

Meanwhile, the Natural Sciences department will occupy the second and third floors, with new Chemistry, Physics and Biology labs as well as classrooms, computer labs, and faculty offices.

 
The Natural Sciences department will have 18 new teaching labs on the second and third floors.


The roof, which previously hosted a popular Cuban restaurant, will be converted into a large lecture hall with glass doors that will open onto the large terrace, making it suitable for indoor/outdoor events.

 

Overall, the aesthetic is modern and clean with neutral colors and lots of blond wood panelling and furniture. The spaces will be suffused in natural light streaming in from the tall windows, as well as high-end lighting fixtures designed to provide even lighting and stylish touches to the various spaces.

 

According to the architect Jim Braddock, the design phase of the project is almost complete and construction is scheduled to begin at the end of May. If all goes to plan, the College should be able to occupy the newly renovated building by the end of 2027. The spaces in the A-building that will be vacated by the Natural Sciences and Allied Health departments will be filled by the burgeoning Cybersecurity and Digital Design programs. These new spaces and moves will allow for the continued growth of those programs to meet the rising demand, and will contribute to the fulfillment of the College’s mission to drive socio-economic mobility in the community while also helping to generally improve the neighborhood and preserve its history.