NASA Ends Lease for Iconic NYC Climate Center in Trump-Era Federal Property Review Shake-Up
NASA is set to end its decades-long lease for the New York City-based Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), a major hub for climate science that has operated from Columbia University’s Armstrong Hall since 1961. This significant move is part of a broader federal property lease review initiated under the administration of former President Donald Trump. The Goddard Institute, which has long been at the forefront of climate research, is renowned for managing one of the world’s five primary independent global temperature datasets and has played a critical role in understanding Earth’s climate system.
The decision to vacate the premises was confirmed by a NASA spokesperson via email and further detailed in a Bloomberg report. GISS staff were informed that they must leave the facility by May 31. NASA leadership has instructed that the institute’s work will continue virtually for the foreseeable future. In the interim, employees will be placed on temporary remote work agreements while NASA evaluates options for a new physical location. This transition, although unexpected, is being positioned by NASA as a strategic move rather than a sign of downsizing or deprioritizing climate research.
Bethany Stevens, a NASA spokesperson, emphasized that operations will not halt, stating the organization is actively assessing new spaces for the GISS team. During a visit to New York, NASA officials met with approximately 100 staff members to address concerns about how the shift might impact the future of the institute’s research and operations. Gavin Schmidt, the current director of GISS, noted the importance of maintaining continuity in their work, which includes pivotal contributions to Earth system modeling and climate prediction.
In a reassuring message to staff, Makenzie Lystrup, director of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, reiterated the agency’s commitment to the institute’s mission. “The work of the GISS team is considered critical for the Earth Science Division, particularly as the Division looks to the future of its modeling work and capabilities,” she wrote in an internal email seen by Bloomberg.
The Goddard Institute’s current location, Armstrong Hall, is not only significant for its scientific contributions but also holds cultural relevance. The building is famously home to Tom’s Restaurant, the diner made iconic in the 1990s sitcom Seinfeld. The lease for the space, managed by the General Services Administration, reportedly costs around $3 million annually—a substantial figure that likely influenced the decision during the federal lease review process initiated under the Trump administration.
This development raises broader questions about the federal government’s long-term plans for supporting climate science infrastructure. While NASA has vowed to continue the critical research conducted by GISS, the uncertainty surrounding the move has sparked concern within the scientific community about potential disruptions to ongoing projects and collaborations.
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