The old Three Arts Club on West 85th Street is getting a very different crowd. Work is underway at the eight-story, 1927 landmark at 340 West 85th Street on the Upper West Side, where crews have started turning the former artists’ club into permanently affordable senior housing. The overhaul will merge its tiny single-room-occupancy units into larger studio apartments while keeping much of the building’s grand public spaces intact, after elected officials and nonprofit partners gathered on the block for a recent groundbreaking.
Designed by Curtis + Ginsberg Architects for the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, the project will convert roughly 125 SRO rooms into 61 permanently affordable homes for low-income older adults. Under the plan, 40 percent of the apartments will be reserved for formerly homeless people 55 and older who are living with serious mental-health or substance-use needs, and residents will pay no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent, backed by project-based Section 8 vouchers. Referrals will be coordinated through the Department of Homeless Services, NYCHA and Housing Connect, according to New York YIMBY.
The nonprofit developer, West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing, notes on its project page that it will offer on-site social services, including case management, counseling, recreational programming and technology access. The team is also planning a suite of energy upgrades, such as high-efficiency electric heating and cooling, energy-recovery ventilation, high-performance insulation and windows, and rooftop solar, with the goal of meeting EnerPHit Passive House standards. Planned amenities include a communal rooftop terrace, a penthouse community room, a performance ballroom, a library and laundry rooms on every residential floor, as detailed by the West Side Federation for Senior and Supportive Housing.
Design and preservation
The rehabilitation is set to preserve the Three Arts Club’s historic interiors, including the dining room, main lobby, library, parlor and music hall, in line with the U.S. Secretary of the Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation, as shown in a Landmarks Preservation Commission presentation. The LPC materials outline proposed entry and lobby work that keeps original finishes in place while adding required accessibility upgrades.
The project’s EnerPHit-focused retrofit and overall design also received recognition in NYSERDA’s Buildings of Excellence program, according to Curtis + Ginsberg Architects.
Money and timeline
Financing for the conversion pulls together construction and permanent loans along with historic tax credits that helped close the deal. Merchants Capital announced roughly $26.3 million in debt and noted that the property benefits from a Housing Assistance Payment (HAP) contract under which tenants pay about 30 percent of their income toward rent. The lender said 25 units will be dedicated for formerly homeless individuals and that the project will convert to permanent financing on a multi-year schedule. Renovation activity began in late 2025, and crews have been on site this spring as work advances, the firm reported.
Neighbors and next steps
Local coverage has reflected both enthusiasm and familiar Upper West Side concerns about the concentration of shelter-related beds on nearby blocks, as officials and the developer marked the project’s launch. Nicole Marrocco, WSFSSH’s director of real-estate development, told the West Side Rag that “this building will once again serve people seeking stability, dignity, and the opportunity to thrive in New York City.” The developer says it held public meetings during planning and that referrals and lotteries will be handled through city channels once applications open.
Work at 340 West 85th is now in the construction phase, with the team projecting a phased schedule that leads to project completion by November 2027 and full occupancy by May 2028. That timeline comes as the building prepares to shift from decades of short-term SRO rooms to long-term, supportive studio homes for older New Yorkers. Applicants are advised to watch Housing Connect and WSFSSH for lottery and referral details, per New York YIMBY.
