NYC Invests $12.3M for Hostos Community College Life Science Facility at Bronx General Post Office

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams and The City University of New York (CUNY) Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez announced today (Sept. 3) a total of $12.3 million in funding to lease nearly 200,000-square-foot space that will serve as a life sciences facility for Hostos Community College at the Bronx General Post Office Building in the South Bronx.

With the funding from the city, developer BPO Owner LLC, an affiliate of Madd Equities, will embark on an approximately $70-million renovation of a portion of the historic Bronx General Post Office to develop a state-of-the-art facility for Hostos health care programs. The city’s investment was made in conjunction with the Fiscal Year (FY) 2026 Adopted Budget.

The new facility—located at 558 Grand Concourse in the South Bronx—is the historic and landmarked former Bronx General Post Office building. Approximately 10,000 square feet will continue operating as a post office, with the remaining approximately 190,000 square feet to be used by Hostos Community College.

The new “Allied Health and Natural Sciences Life Sciences Center” will feature modern instructional labs, lab support areas, faculty offices, general classrooms, student spaces, and campus services. It consolidates the allied health and natural sciences departments, improving proximity between faculty and classrooms and fostering greater interaction between students and faculty. With increased capacity, Hostos Community College can introduce additional high-demand health care programs, such as surgical nursing, surgical technology, occupational therapy, and home health care, city officials said.

“If it’s good enough for Cornell, it should be good enough for CUNY. There’s no reason our CUNY schools shouldn’t have the same level of resources and access to hands-on learning as their peers across the nation, and our administration is proud to help make that happen,” said Mayor Adams. “Today, we are helping CUNY develop further into a world-class institution with the announcement of a brand new life sciences facility at Hostos Community College in the Bronx, which will feature modern instructional labs, classrooms, and student spaces, and serve up to 5,000 students per year.”

“The transformation of the historic Bronx Central Post Office into a state-of-the-art science facility for Hostos Community College is the realization of a decade-long ambition shared by the Bronx and Hostos communities,” said CUNY Chancellor Matos Rodríguez. “With more space, we will double the number of students eligible for meaningful careers as medical professionals, creating more avenues to New York's thriving health care industry and improving access to health services for communities throughout the Bronx. I want to thank Mayor Adams and the City Council for giving this storied building a new lease on life while honoring its identity as a public good.”

“Today is a great day for Hostos and for our students,” said Hostos Community College President Dr. Daisy Cocco De Filippis. “We have been planning for years to build a new Allied Health Building to meet the increasing needs of our community, as more and more students are enrolling in pursuit of careers in health care and various STEM fields. We are so excited to start renovating the building, developing new programs and creating new opportunities for our students to progress socioeconomically. Mil gracias to Mayor Adams, CUNY, and BPO Owner for making this possible.”

Currently, more than 2,400 students are enrolled in allied health programs, including dental hygiene, nursing, and radiologic technology; and nearly all Hostos Community College students, regardless of their major, are required to complete at least one natural science course as part of the pathways general education requirements. As a result, the new facility is expected to serve up to 5,000 students per semester. Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 2026, with the program slated for opening in the fall of 2028.

“I have been working with Hostos for nearly a decade, and I am truly proud to have played a role in making this program and building a reality for Hostos and CUNY,” said Jorge Madruga, partner, BPO Owner LLC. “Bringing a revered Bronx institution like Hostos Community College into the Bronx General Post Office reflects our long-term vision to revitalize this historic landmark for the benefit of the community.

“Repurposing a part of the historic Bronx General Post Office into a center for learning and exploration shows how we’re reimagining space to empower our Bronx scholars,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “In these new labs and classrooms, students will gain the hands-on training they need to enter careers in health and science that are not only high-demand but life-sustaining for their families. This means more nurses, radiology technicians, dental hygienists, and soon, new programs in surgical nursing, occupational therapy, surgical technology, and home health care. I want to thank Mayor Eric Adams, CUNY Chancellor Félix Matos Rodríguez, Hostos President Dr. Daisy Cocco De Filippis, and BPO Owner team for their investment in our scholars and our borough.”