New School Facilities Begin Return to Normalcy

Having reopened on Monday after spending nearly a full week in the dark — along with the rest of downtown Manhattan — The New School is slowly returning to normal after Hurricane Sandy.

The university’s dormitories at Loeb Hall, 13th Street, Stuyvesant Park, 20th Street and William Street have all reopened for student residence as of Monday, after power was restored on Saturday for all New School buildings.

But while there is electricity and running water at all locations, heat and hot water have yet to come back to William Street, and there is no specific time frame for their return.

“We are definitely working on it,” said Sam Biederman of The New School Communications Office. “Hopefully [heat] will be returned soon.”

Arnold Hall, at 55 W. 13th St., has remained open for students still in need of shelter, or for those who are facing commuting difficulties. The university said that the building will remain open indefinitely, and continue to offer amenities to students in need. New School President Davd Van Zandt said that students are welcome to stay in Arnhold Hall “for as long as necessary” in a letter to the community.

“It’s not that bad,” Brittney Hendricks, a graphic design student at Parsons who stayed at Arnold Hall during the power outage, said of the conditions in the building. “We had everything we needed.” The cafeteria at Arnold Hall has also returned to it regular operations, ending the free food offered during the previous week’s outage.

As far as damage sustained by university properties during the storm, 65 W. 11th St. suffered some basement flooding, as did 151 Bank St. and Westbeth Artists Housing, both of which are part of The New School for Drama. The storm also damaged the boiler for both drama buildings, leaving them without heat and water and causing all drama classes to be held at 6 E. 16th St. when school reopened Monday.

All damages are currently being attended to, according to school officials, but The New School for Drama’s relocation could last as long as three weeks, according to the school website.

Other New School buildings, including the construction project at 65 Fifth Ave., suffered little or no damage as a result of the storm, according to Biederman.

“We are very fortunate and quite grateful,” Biederman said.

Biederman praised the behavior and conduct of New School students as the administration works to get operations completely back to normal.

“The students have really been amazing,” said Biederman. “So patient and understanding, it has been impressive.”