A New Chapter on Broadway
by Lucky Islam, Director of Finance and Operations
After nearly 23 years at 150 Broadway, Humanities New York has a new home.
This summer, our business address officially becomes:
115 Broadway, Floor 5
New York, NY 10006
It is only a few blocks away, but it represents an important step in our organization’s next chapter.
When Humanities New York moved into 150 Broadway more than two decades ago, the organization looked very different. We recently rediscovered an invitation from the office reopening celebration, complete with an architect’s sketch of the space, a reminder of the excitement that accompanied settling into what would become our home for nearly 23 years.
Over those years, thousands of grant applications were reviewed, partnerships were built, public humanities programs were imagined, and generations of staff, board members, and community partners walked through those doors. Leaving a place with that much history is bittersweet.
Responsible stewardship sometimes means recognizing when an organization’s infrastructure must evolve alongside its mission.
Following the unprecedented funding disruptions of 2025, Humanities New York took a careful look at every aspect of our operations. Our office lease had been designed for a different organization, one with a larger in-person staff and different operational needs. Maintaining a traditional office no longer reflected how our team works today or how we could best invest our resources.
Rather than simply relocating, we treated the move as an opportunity to rethink how Humanities New York operates, from records management and technology to workspace and long-term sustainability.
Over the past year, staff digitized decades of organizational records, simplified our technology infrastructure, and thoughtfully sorted through the office, storage room, and filing cabinets. Furniture, office supplies, and equipment that still had life left in them found new homes with neighboring organizations, nonprofit partners, and community groups across New York City. What could have become waste instead became resources for others, extending the life of the tools that had supported our work for so many years.
Our new headquarters is located in the historic Trinity Building at 115 Broadway, a Lower Manhattan landmark completed in 1907 and designed by architect Francis Hatch Kimball, whose work helped shape New York City’s skyline. While our address has changed, our neighborhood has not. Remaining in Lower Manhattan allows us to stay connected to the community that has been home to Humanities New York for decades.
We have also embraced a coworking model through WeWork, giving our hybrid team access to collaborative workspaces without the operational demands of maintaining a traditional leased office. Sharing space with entrepreneurs, nonprofits, and businesses from across the city creates new opportunities to build relationships, exchange ideas, and stay connected to the broader civic community.
Most importantly, this move allows us to focus our resources where they matter most: supporting the public humanities across New York State.
From an operations perspective, this transition represented far more than relocating offices. It required rethinking how we manage records, technology, physical space, and organizational resources. Every decision became an opportunity to ask a simple question: does this help Humanities New York better fulfill its mission? That process shaped not only where we work, but how we work.
As Director of Finance & Operations, I had the privilege of leading this transition with the support of our Executive Director. The experience was a reminder that operations work is often most visible in moments of change, but its purpose is constant: creating the conditions that allow mission-driven work to continue, adapt, and thrive.
Our address has changed. Our purpose has not. As Humanities New York begins this next chapter at 115 Broadway, we carry forward fifty years of history while building an operational foundation for the future.
We look forward to welcoming partners, our community, and friends to our new home.