The Shefa School

The Shefa School’s new home exemplifies what it means to be “Built by Women.” From vision to realization, women guided every stage of this complex, transformative office-to school project. Founded and led by Ilana Ruskay-Kidd, Shefa is an independent day school in Manhattan that specializes in serving K-8 students with language-based learning disabilities. Its new home translates that mission into architecture—creating spaces that nurture growth and focus, within the bustling context of Manhattan’s Upper West Side. At Dattner Architects, Project Leader Mia Lee developed a flexible spatial model to make the best use of available area, while meeting Shefa’s unique pedagogical needs of a generous teacher to student ratio. All classrooms are subdividable and supplemented by another small group classroom, so that the subjects of Math, Reading, and Writing may be taught to small groups of 3-4 children. Mia was supported by an all-women architectural team that collaborated to convert this abandoned 1920s commercial building into a 12-story vertical campus. The project required major structural intervention: one-third of each floor was demolished and rebuilt, new circulation cores inserted, and the upper levels entirely replaced to accommodate a double-height gym, a teacher training center, and a rooftop play yard. Restoring the original brick and terracotta façade while introducing a copper-clad addition exemplified the team’s balance of preservation and innovation. Rachel Lehr oversaw construction administration, navigating the complexities of urban adaptive reuse with tight existing floor-to-floor heights. Dattner Architects is a WBE as is the owner’s representative Envoie Projects, which included Adrienne Hepler and Emily Giese, who each steered logistics and collaboration across disciplines. Together, these women reimagined an abandoned structure into a vibrant, purpose-built school—an inspiring example of how leadership, creativity, and care can transform both buildings and communities.