New York City’s ASPCA will unveil the results of a year-long, $5 million remodeling Monday, Sept. 18, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony, the organization says. The event will give animal lovers and ASPCA supporters a glimpse inside the shelter’s new interior, which includes two full floors and houses 86 more animals, a 40 percent increase from its previous capacity.
“We took away space and moved the animals in,” says Steve Musso, ASPCA executive vice president of operations. “Not only did we want to be able to accommodate more animals, we also wanted to provide them with premium quality, long-term housing space in an environment that reduces the animals’ stress and increases their chances of adoption.”
The remodeling covers 12,000 square feet and provides twice as much colony housing for cats and four times as much space for dogs. The 6,000-square-foot lobby-level adoption center has 16 glass enclosures for dogs, six community cat rooms that can house up to 75 cats and 24 individual cat habitats. The fourth floor, once home to offices, now is home to 112 cat and 19 dog habitats. Both rooms feature generously sized playrooms.
For more information on the ASPCA’s renovation and the grand opening ceremony, visit the ASPCA website.