A New York Liberal Turf War

When the Upper West Side’s tony Calhoun School announced that a homeless shelter would take over one of its buildings, the neighborhood’s liberal pieties were put to the test

By Sage Lattman

With a liberal disposition, and $63,500 yearly tuition, the Calhoun School has been an Upper West Side fixture for more than a century. Its alumni include entertainment stars such as the actor Ben Stiller, the playwright Wendy Wasserstein, and the Oscar-winning comedian turned director Jordan Peele. The school’s main building is a curved-glass-and-travertine box nicknamed the “TV set.” Within, there are no walls dividing classrooms. This is in order to create a more open, relaxed environment.

Just a few blocks away is Calhoun’s more staid lower-school building. Nestled among brownstones on West 74th Street, the property is a wide red-brick, five-story building, with large windows and stately steps leading up to the entrance. Surrounding the school are local businesses, including the original location of the celebrated cookie shop Levain Bakery, where for 30 years schoolkids have procured their after-school treats.