Bideawee has been around for more than 117 years and through good times and bad, we’ve stayed true to our mission of being there for pets and the people who love them. When our founder, Flora Kibbe chose our Manhattan location on East 38th Street, it was during a time when people horrifically discarded their unwanted pets in the river, and she felt being only steps away would enable her to save more lives. She purposefully positioned Bideawee to be as close as possible to the East River in the hope that she could be there to step in before pets were drowned.
Thankfully, times have changed, and Bideawee’s location near the East River no longer best serves the organization or the pets and people we serve. We have very little visibility or foot traffic, we are nowhere near mass transit and we are susceptible, as we learned during Hurricane Sandy, to the impacts of flooding from major storms. Additionally, Bideawee’s 38th Street location needs major updating to better accommodate our lifesaving programs.
Several years ago, the Board of Directors and Senior Management determined the best way forward for the next 117 years and more, would be to move our location to an area of Manhattan that would better position us to be more visible while creating a state-of-the-art facility to be the best place for animals and the people who love them. The search for just the right location began. But it hasn’t been easy. Finding a building that works within our budget, away from the rivers and in the right zoning area, and most importantly, one that provides a space we can build out to be the future home of the organization has proved elusive for the past three years. But our patience finally paid off in July of this year and I have incredibly exciting news to share!
Bideawee Manhattan is moving to a central New York City location – highly visible to clients and friends – in the bustling Chelsea neighborhood!
The 7,000 square foot state-of-the-art building on West 24th Street will be the sole Bideawee facility in Manhattan, housing animal showcase rooms, a surgical suite and exam rooms, dog and cat kennels, animal interaction rooms, and an area for adoption counselling. Additionally, we will be launching our Animal Enrichment and Training Center, an open-air lot located next to the new facility, which will be central to the dog training programs, enrichment programs, and play groups that provide our animals with the support and training necessary to cultivate happy, healthy, long-term relationships. Our ambitious vision will maximize our available square footage, grow our mission-based care, and add training and enrichment to ensure that fewer cats and dogs enter the shelter system.
Now, Bideawee is poised to move to the next level of care and service to ensure that even more dogs and cats find their forever homes. Our vision for the future begins with a reimagination of our dedicated campuses and facilities to mirror the caliber of our programs. Our plans are ambitious, and we are excited to take these bold steps to increase our capacity to care for our animals and expand our reach in the community.
I couldn’t be more excited and grateful and I want to thank each and every one of you for supporting BIdeawee’s mission through the years, and especially during 2020. Through good times and bad, you’ve been there for us and for the pets and people we dedicate our work to. And because of you, Bideawee is able to move forward into the next century to help save even more lives at our new location.
I look forward to updating you on the progress of our new building during the coming months. 2021 is going to be busy and exciting as we build our new Manhattan campus and get ready for our grand opening in the fall of 2021!
May you have a very happy holiday season and I wish you a very Happy New Year!