BY SCOTT STIFFLER | From wall of silence to font of information: That’s the seismic shift in style and substance, since a September 26, 2024 announcement noted that financially faltering General Theological Seminary (GTS) signed an agreement establishing Nashville-based Vanderbilt University as presumptive lessee of the Close (aka the 207-year-old Seminary grounds, W. 20th to 21st Sts., 9th to 10th Aves.).

The unexpected development came after several months of silence from GTS leadership, who were on the defensive after hosting a contentious town hall packed with Chelsea residents fuming from news that the right wing-funded School of Sacred Music was poised to stake a 99-year claim on the Close. 

But with last September’s announcement, ill will among local residents, preservationists, and proud progressives quickly dissipated, especially after Vanderbilt’s own Sept. 26 announcement. Among other well-received mentions of things to come, the announcement noted Vanderbilt was already in talks with “government and community leaders about how the university can contribute to and deepen its relationship with the Chelsea community.”

But how can that be accomplished, and who should lead the effort? Clearly, this called for the type of Southern charm that can only be deployed by top-notch talent from….Upstate  New York? Yes. The university’s March 26, 2025 press release came with an appropriately succinct and informative headline: James Kellerhouse named Vanderbilt’s assistant vice chancellor for strategic initiatives in New York City.

Just prior to his arrival at Vanderbilt (via Chelsea), Catskills native Kellerhouse served as  Hartwick College’s Vice President for Institutional Advancement. Before that, since 2014, he was the Albany [NY] Med Foundation’s vice president for philanthropy and chief development officer. He holds an M.B.A. from the University at Albany, and a B.A. and an A.A. in social sciences from Russell Sage College. (Source: Hartwick College press announcement of 5/16/2022.)

The “veteran administrator,” the release noted, will “oversee the day-to-day operations of Vanderbilt’s New York City campus, while simultaneously leading strategic initiatives to enhance the university’s impact in the city.” To a curious public, Kellerhouse has become the face–and voice–of Vanderbilt, empowered to speak on any given topic–which came in handy when Chelsea Community News was invited to the Close on May 13, 2025 for an on-record interview with Kellerhouse. No questions were submitted in advance, and no questions went unanswered.

The below Q&A is taken from the transcripts of our interview, condensed but not otherwise altered. CCNews, which has seen its share of “No comment” or “Can we go off record?” responses from all manner of interview subjects, saw none of that from Kellerhouse. Judge for yourself while reading our Q&A. Before that, however, CCNews asked three locals to weigh in on the topic of  Kellerhouse, Vanderbilt, legacy, and transparency. Their feedback is based on a May 28, 2025 visit, by invitation, to the Close.

Manhattan Community Board 4 Chair Jessica Chait stated, “This historic campus is a true gem…CB4 looks forward to working with Vanderbilt’s leadership to ensure the campus is thoughtfully restored and its rich legacy preserved for generations to come.”

Susan Palmer Marshall–speaking as president of the Council of Chelsea Block Associations (CCBA)–told CCNews that early interactions with Vanderbilt University “have been thoughtful, open, and community-minded…When [CCBA Vice President] Brian Mattlin and I toured the campus with James Kellerhouse [on May 28], we were encouraged by his appreciation for the site’s history and his commitment to honoring it…We feel incredibly fortunate that Vanderbilt is such a natural and thoughtful match for both the Seminary and our Chelsea community. Their presence ensures that this treasured campus will not only be protected but reactivated in ways that serve a broader public good. We look forward to future collaborations that reflect our shared commitment to education, culture, and civic life.”

Pamela Wolff, president of Save Chelsea and a longtime public member of Manhattan Community Board 4 (serving on the Chelsea Land Use committee), comments here on her own behalf. Wolff calls the transition of GTS into a satellite campus for Vanderbilt University “a great relief on so many levels…I am convinced that Vanderbilt will fulfill its commitment to restore and maintain the remaining historic buildings on the campus that hold so much history, and are such a part of the fabric of this neighborhood.”

Of the recent campus tour, Wolff noted it was “gratifying to see the magnificently landscaped Close is being so well maintained, with the many mature trees looking healthy and happy.” She called Kellerhouse, in tour guide mode, “a welcoming and genial host” while admitting a bit of bias-by-way-of-birthright. “Since I am originally from Nashville, Tennessee,” Wolff declared, “I have a particular fondness for Vandy!”

From CCNews’ May 13, 2025 visit to the Close:

Scott Stiffler, for Chelsea Community News (CCNews): Let’s begin by talking about what Vanderbilt plans to do with the buiildings.

James Kellerhouse (James): We have no plans to raze or rebuild any of the buildings…We’re excited to be able to preserve the legacy and I think that’s what we love about the campus. It looks like Vanderbilt; it reflects the red brick and the style of architecture that we have in Nashville. So that’s a really happy accident.

CCNews: What kind of work is being done prior to the arrival of students?

James: We expect that we’ll spend a fair amount of time in the first couple of years making sure that the buildings, from an exterior point of view, are maintained well; that the roofs are fixed and necessary repairs to the bricks and mortar are made. And then internally, we’re thinking about foundational infrastructure investment here; plumbing, heating, electrical…Our teams have been here over the last several weeks asking, “What does the system look like? What is it going to need?” We’ve scanned all the walls inside–it’s a very cool process. They came in with something that looks almost like a little X-ray machine and it scans anything that’s in the wall. And then we are working with a design and architecture firm that can help us [assess] things you can or can’t do or things that you’re expected to do in terms of upgrading.

So we’re still in the assessment phase; really just uncovering: What is that system? Where is it working? You’re here on the ground level, but you go up a couple of floors and you realize that it’s been leaking; or the things have not been cleaned out and so water’s backed up, there’s some damage. We’re unearthing all of that before we come up with an overall plan of where we can make the critical investments.

CCNews: Do you have a timeframe for that infrastructure and investment work?

James: It looks like it’ll be about a phased, five-year construction. In that scenario, we’d take certain residence halls offline, make those critical updates that we need to make, bring them back online. and move on to the next one. They’re working on the details [now]. Again, it’s all part of this assessment process. So I don’t have specifically which buildings will go offline and when, but we have that phase construction–pending, of course, all the approvals that we need from New York State and the Board of Regents. Our hope is that we go “live” fall of 2026 with our Undergraduate Study Away program.

CCNews: What makes a student’s stay in NYC different than a traditional “semester abroad?”

James: It’s a “Study Away” is what I call it. We’ll align with our Study Abroad program, where students apply and they’ll do a “Study Away” in New York City. We expected there to be about 100 students, focused on third and fourth year students. So they would spend a semester in New York and have a sort of a place-based learning internship–a reason they have to be here in New York City, not just because they want to live in New York and take classes. They will actually have real career experience here…

Internships and immersive hands-on learning opportunities connect what students learn in the classroom to the professional world, so students are actively participating in this community. I’m working to secure semester-long internships and have met with corporate and organization leaders like Ken [Jockers] at Hudson Guild…And you know, ultimately the benefit is they get great work experience. They fall in love with New York and they graduate and they come back to live and work in New York City…

CCNews: And what will the roster of faculty look like?

James: The [faculty to student] ratios, we’re still determining. It’ll depend on where [what departments and disciplines] the students are coming from. We will have an Associate Provost who will run the academic program. And we envision probably four to five faculty members each semester that will visit from Nashville. But at the same time, you know, a real interest in being in New York is employing people who are in the industry–so Adjunct Professors as well…As our third and fourth year students become much more specialized, we can imagine an Arts and Sciences or even an Engineering student will probably do something on, like, New York City architecture. They’ll take a class, but then they’ll explore the city; to feel it, to experience it themselves. And so really what we’re trying to create here for students is something that’s immersive.

CCNews: I want to talk about Vanderbilt in the City, the three public programs held in March, April, and May. Prior to your first academic semester here in NYC, are there plans for more in the City events or other public programs?

James: Yes, and we are launching in the fall. The programs will be similar to what we did this spring. They’ll be faculty-led, on a topic that they choose, fairly relevant to what’s going on [in society]. And they’ll bring in colleagues and industry experts to be on the panels. We haven’t decided yet what that syllabus looks like, but I could say probably by August we’ll be set to announce. 

We will do that [public engagement] through our lectures or, for example, we’ll have a gallery on campus where we can show student and faculty art–and then we can be truly a part of the Chelsea neighborhood when it comes to things like the Art Walks. This fall, we will probably have a concert in the Chapel. Those are the types of things that we want to share with our community, to invite them to be a part of.

CCNews: Have you been meeting, or will you be meeting, with the local block associations, community groups, electeds?

James: That has already started; first with some one-on-one meetings. I met with Ken Jockers of Hudson Guild, and some of the elected folks, including a rep from the Offfice of Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. I met [NYC Council Member] Erik Bottcher,and [NYS Senator] Brad Hoylman-Sigal. We had Senator Gillbrand’s Office here; Senator Schumer’s Office was coming; and [NYS Assemblymember]  Tony Simone–we have that meeting set up. And then, from the block associations? I met Susan [Palmer Marshal], Council of Chelsea Block Associations President. And then, you know, our hope is when everything is finalized, to invite [all of] them on campus, to see it firsthand.

CCNews: Do you have a standard presentation or certain material to accompany these meetings?

James: Usually I just take my dog with me, and everyone’s really happy to see Cowboy. Just a little side story: So last night, I walk into this gathering a neighbor had [for me, in her home]. And almost everyone said, “Where’s Cowboy?” And I was like, “Okay, well I’m here, you know…”

CCNews: And what kind of dog is cowboy?

James: He’s a little terrier, and he was a rescue. My partner was the president of the Mohawk Hudson Humane Society for a long time, in Albany. And so, we’re pretty big on dog rescues.

CCNews: How long have you had Cowboy?

James: Actually, it’ll be a year next week. He’s two years old. He loves running around. He’s going to think it’s his [the Close] when people actually show up. I said to him, “You know, dog, this is not how the average person lives in New York City, in an enclosed park.”

CCNews: On that topic, of how people live: There are two major developments happening very close to the Close: The expected private/public partnership that will see the redevelopment of NYCHA’s two Chelsea properties, and, from the same real estate company [Related], a bid to bring housing, green space, and a resort/casino to the Western Rail Yards area. Whatever plans are settled on, the construction is going to impact all of Chelsea. Is that something on Vanderbilt’s radar?

James: I talked to Ken [Jockers of Hudson Guild] about it and he shared what the development project was…The plans, I can certainly reflect on them overall. We feel that communities are made of diverse groups of people and everyone deserves to live in decent housing, safe housing, affordable housing. And our students, we want them to see life isn’t sort of living on a highly manicured campus. Life is, you live in communities. You live with people. You live with construction, you live with development…As to why we’re here? You know, Chelsea is special. Vanderbilt could have gone as others have and rented Midtown space, commercial space. But we’re actually here for a reason, for our students to live in a community with a diversity of people and cultures. You get that in a concentrated way here. 

CCNews: Noise from nearby construction notwithstanding, the Close is certainly as good as its name; it’s quiet here, noticably removed from vehicular and other sounds common on the Avenues. Do you observe that effect, that tranquil vibe?

James: It’s a Seminary in this sort of, you can feel it once you walk through these Gates. And it’s our hope that our students have that type of experience. 

CCNews: James, thanks for your time today [May 13, 2025]. How can our readers reach out to Vanderbilt if they have questions?

James: We’re building a system to provide updates to the neighborhood and those interested in what’s happening at Vanderbilt University – New York City. The community can be on the lookout for a sign-up link by the fall.

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