Plans are in motion to utilize the existing space to expand opportunities for students, faculty, alumni and supporters.

The Nashville-based institution will be moving into approximately 150,000 square feet across 13 buildings in Chelsea for its new campus at the General Theological Seminary, a spokesperson for Vanderbilt told Commercial Observer.

The Nashville-based school will take over the Manhattan campus of an Episcopal seminary in financial distress, as the university tries to attract students by opening new locations.

Vanderbilt University’s East Coast expansion plan just got bigger, as the university sets its sights on New York City.

Vanderbilt University announced Thursday it preliminarily exploring establishing a New York City presence. According to a release, the university is considering leasing the 13-building General Theological Seminary campus located in the city’s Chelsea district. The main address is 440 W. 21st St.

The university said Thursday that it is entering into a lease with the General Theological Seminary in Chelsea. Vanderbilt said it is seeking regulatory approval from various state agencies for the plan, though it declined to provide specific information about what types of for-credit programs it would offer on the New York campus.

An earlier plan to partner with a music school with ties to a conservative Catholic donor fell through. The new lease, if approved, could help GTS through a fiscal crisis.