Cardinal Timothy Dolan ushered in a new era for the Archdiocese of New York on Monday, as the archdiocese completed the move of its headquarters from 1011 First Avenue to 488 Madison Avenue, across the street from St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

As archdiocesan staff gathered in the new office’s main reception area, Cardinal Dolan joked, “I didn’t get to go on the balcony in Rome after the conclave,” standing on a space above that area to bless both the personnel and the new premises.

Cardinal Dolan recalled that the site now occupied by the building at 488 Madison Avenue was once Church property, with first an orphanage, and then a high school on the block just north and across the street from St. Patrick’s Cathedral.

“Isn’t it magnificent that we look out at St. Patrick’s Cathedral,” he said. “This has been since the time of John Joseph Hughes, the first archbishop of New York, a time when he decided to move St. Patrick’s, which has always been a kind of center of the Church’s presence. And we continue that tradition.”

Cardinal Dolan then blessed the space and the people in it. “Oh, God, in your wise providence, you’re glad to bless all human endeavor, all of our projects, all of our work, all of our thoughts, all of our plans, the work of our hands, our hearts, our souls, and minds. Grant that all who plan and conduct their daily work and responsibilities in this new office structure may, through your guidance and support, come to the right decisions, and carry them out energetically and fairly, we ask this through Christ, our Lord. And may God, your Father of loving goodness, who commanded us to help one another, bless this new building with His presence, and look kindly at all who work here.

“May Almighty God bless this new building, and all of you who work here, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.”

The new, open-plan office is designed to lead colleagues and departments in the new location to greater cooperation.

“I think this is going to bring more collaboration to our work. And I think it will make us better at doing what we’re supposed to be doing, and that’s following the work of Christ here in the Archdiocese of New York. So, I’m really excited. Hopefully, our colleagues feel as excited as I am about the new space and the new environment. It’s going to be a wonderful exercise,” said John Cahill, Chancellor of the Archdiocese of New York, as he greeted employees arriving at the building for the first time.

“I think they will embrace us being together as a group, being that our plan is open and we’ll be able to communicate a lot better with one another, and it will be a collaborative setting for all of us. And I think it will bring a happier work environment and a happier culture,” Ella O’Sullivan, Executive Director for Human Resources of the archdiocese, told The Good Newsroom.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan announced in January 2024 that the archdiocese would move its headquarters from the 1011 site. In October 2024, the sale of the building to the Warburton Group was confirmed.

Following the sale, the archdiocese planned to move its headquarters to 488 Madison Avenue. Some departments are relocating to other offices around the area.

The new archdiocesan headquarters is on the north side of East 51st Street in Manhattan.