Bideawee Purchases Manhattan Building to Enhance Animal Adoption Services

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Press release: Bideawee

Bideawee, one of the country’s oldest and most respected animal welfare and pet adoption organizations, announced today the purchase of a building to serve as its New York City headquarters. The nonprofit, founded in Manhattan in 1903, will re-locate its Midtown East location to a more centrally-located space in Chelsea in order to optimize square footage, grow its mission-based care, and provide enhanced behavior services that will help ensure pet owners are supported in keeping their adopted animals in good homes. Following a comprehensive renovation of the building, Bideawee projects a move in date of fall 2021. The current Manhattan location, at 410 East 38 Street, is expected to be listed for sale in Spring 2021.

The recently purchased 7,000-plus square foot, three-story building at 152 West 24 Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, will house a state-of-the-art adoption center designed to provide the best possible experience for animals in Bideawee’s care and for potential adopters. In addition to providing custom designed housing for animals, there will be a surgical suite/treatment area, meet and greet rooms for potential adopters and volunteers to interact with the dogs and cats, and flexible office spaces. A reception desk and store featuring basic pet supplies and Bideawee-branded gear, will welcome visitors.

In the adjacent open-air lot that Bideawee also purchased, the organization will launch an Animal Enrichment and Training Center, which will be home to a dog play and exercise area for resident dogs. Bideawee will also host classes and play groups for dog owners that will provide animals and their people with the support and guidance to cultivate happy, healthy, long-term relationships.

“At a time when so many animals are in need of homes, this strategically designed, centrally located headquarters will increase our capacity to rescue animals, provide them with top notch care, and ensure that even more dogs and cats are matched with families looking to adopt,” said Leslie Granger, president and CEO of Bideawee. “We are grateful to Bideawee’s founder Flora D’Auby Jenkins Kibbe for her pioneering vision and compassion, and proud that we are able to expand our reach and services to better serve our community – animals and humans alike – as we have continued to do for more than 117 years. I would like to thank our Board of Directors and our compassionate donors and volunteers who are making this possible.”

The project’s architect of record is TMA, Ted Moudis & Associates, and planning and design are being imagined and implemented by RFA, Rauhaus, Friedenfeld & Associates. JLS Cost Management Systems is the site project supervisor.

The re-location of Bideawee’s Manhattan headquarters is the first step in a plan to reimagine Bideawee’s three campuses, including the restoration, renovation, and beautification of Bideawee’s Wantagh and Westhampton facilities on Long Island. Generous philanthropic contributions from Bideawee’s donors will be a key driver in these efforts, as they are to Bideawee’s overarching mission and operations.