Opening the National Urban League Empowerment Center

State Senator Cordell Cleare said, “Today, we welcome the National Urban League back home to Harlem, the Black Capital of the World. 125th Street is the proper place for enriching and empowering services and programs, including the Urban Civil Rights Museum. Congratulations to those who made it possible and to our community, who so richly deserve this.”

The Urban League Empowerment Center sits on a 42,000-square-foot site between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard and Lenox Avenue/Malcolm X Boulevard, developed through a partnership between the National Urban League, BRP Companies, L+M Development Partners, Taconic Partners, and the City and State of New York. The mixed-use complex features approximately 66,000 square feet of retail, 75,000 square feet of office space, 55,000 square feet of community facility space, and 170 affordable and supportive housing units.

In addition to housing the National Urban League’s national headquarters, the Center will include the forthcoming Urban Civil Rights Museum in Harlem — the first of its kind in New York State — supported by a $250,000 Market New York grant to develop branding, marketing, and public engagement.

This project builds upon more than a decade of ESD and New York City Economic Development Corporation collaboration to revitalize Harlem’s 125th Street corridor, advancing State and City goals for affordable housing, job creation, and economic inclusion.

About Empire State Development

Empire State Development is New York's chief economic development agency, and promotes business growth, job creation, and greater economic opportunity throughout the state. With offices in each of the state's 10 regions, ESD oversees the Regional Economic Development Councils, supports broadband equity through the ConnectALL office, and is growing the workforce of tomorrow through the Office of Strategic Workforce Development. The agency engages with emerging and next generation industries like clean energy and semiconductor manufacturing looking to grow in New York State, operates a network of assistance centers to help small businesses grow and succeed, and promotes the state's world class tourism destinations through I LOVE NY. For more information, please visit esd.ny.gov, and connect with ESD on LinkedIn, Facebook and X.