Boys & Girls Harbor
A New York youth-services and education organization that combined academic support, childcare, college and workforce preparation, and performing-arts programs.
Last updated August 25, 2026
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Overview
Boys & Girls Harbor was an American youth-services and education organization headquartered in Manhattan, New York City. Founded in 1937 by Anthony Drexel Duke, it began as a residential summer camp for boys from immigrant and economically disadvantaged backgrounds. Duke believed that a structured outdoor environment, combined with discipline, mutual respect, and access to adult guidance, could help young people discover their abilities and develop confidence. The original camp was established at Duck Island near Southampton, New York, after several years of planning with friends from St. Paul’s School. Its early operation was interrupted when Duke entered the United States Navy during the Second World War. The camp reopened in Connecticut in 1947, moved through several sites, and settled permanently in East Hampton in 1954. The organization gradually expanded beyond seasonal camping. In 1963, Duke acquired a townhouse on East 94th Street in New York City to provide a year-round urban center for Harbor participants. During the 1960s and 1970s, Boys Harbor moved into the former Heckscher Building at One East 104th Street and Fifth Avenue, which became its principal Manhattan home. The institution broadened its population and mission, becoming coeducational and adding early-childhood services, after-school programs, substance-abuse prevention, academic support, and performing-arts education. It was also among the early organizations involved in establishing a charter school in New York State. By the later period of its independent existence, the Harbor operated a collection of programs intended to support children and teenagers across multiple stages of development. These included pre-kindergarten education through the Emily N. Carey Harbor Preschool; extended-day and after-school services through Harbor K.I.D.S. for younger children and Harbor T.E.E.N. for adolescents; literacy and tutoring initiatives; college-preparation and workforce-readiness services; summer programs; and the Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts. The organization’s model combined educational enrichment with social and developmental support rather than treating academic instruction as an isolated service. The Harbor primarily served young people in New York City, especially residents of East and Central Harlem. The referenced demographic profile described a student population in which approximately three-quarters were between six and seventeen years old, with substantial African American and Latino representation. Participants also came from the Bronx, Brooklyn, Queens, and elsewhere in the tri-state area. Its stated mission was to empower inner-city young people to overcome adversity while pursuing creative, intellectual, and economic goals. Duke remained closely associated with that mission until his death from cancer on April 30, 2014, at age 95. Boys & Girls Harbor ceased to operate as an independent organization in 2019, when it merged with Supportive Children’s Advocacy, commonly known as SCAN. The combination created SCAN-Harbor, bringing the Harbor’s youth-development and education legacy into a successor organization. Accordingly, Boys & Girls Harbor is best understood as a former nonprofit youth-services organization rather than a currently independent operating brand.
History
Anthony Drexel Duke founded Boys Harbor in 1937 as a summer camp for immigrant and disadvantaged boys. Duke and fellow alumni of St. Paul’s School had spent several years developing the idea before locating a vacant campsite known as Duck Island near Southampton, New York. The program emphasized outdoor activity, structure, discipline, mutual respect, and the discovery of individual talents. Duke recruited friends and relatives as counselors, creating a small residential program intended to give inner-city boys experiences and opportunities that were difficult to obtain in their home neighborhoods. The first phase of the camp was interrupted in 1941, when Duke entered the United States Navy during the Second World War. The camp resumed in 1947 at a Connecticut site known as Lord’s Highway and subsequently moved between locations. In 1954, East Hampton, New York, became the organization’s permanent summer home. Although camping remained important to the institution’s identity, the organization increasingly developed year-round services in New York City. A major transition occurred in 1963, when Duke obtained a townhouse on East 94th Street for use as an urban center. This allowed the Harbor to maintain contact with children outside the summer season and to provide services closer to their neighborhoods. Expansion during the 1960s and 1970s led the organization to move into the former Heckscher Building at One East 104th Street and Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. The building became the central setting for an increasingly broad portfolio of programs and staff. During this period, Boys Harbor became fully coeducational and expanded its mission from residential recreation to comprehensive youth development. Its work came to include preschool and childcare, extended-day and after-school programs, tutoring, literacy support, drug- and alcohol-prevention education, college preparation, workforce readiness, and performing-arts instruction. The organization was also among the early participants in the creation of a charter school in New York State. Its arts work eventually developed into the Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts, while its youth services were organized into age-specific programs such as Harbor K.I.D.S. and Harbor T.E.E.N. The organization’s principal constituency consisted of children and adolescents in New York City, particularly in East and Central Harlem. The referenced profile described a population that was predominantly school-aged, with African American and Latino students forming the largest demographic groups. Participants also came from other boroughs and communities across the New York metropolitan area. The Harbor’s approach joined formal and supplemental education with cultural enrichment, prevention programs, and preparation for postsecondary education and employment. Duke remained the central historical figure associated with the institution. His stated objective was to help young people facing urban disadvantage overcome adversity and pursue creative, intellectual, and economic ambitions. He died of cancer on April 30, 2014, at age 95. In 2019, Boys & Girls Harbor merged with Supportive Children’s Advocacy, or SCAN, to form SCAN-Harbor. The merger marked the end of Boys & Girls Harbor as a separate organization while carrying elements of its youth-services mission into the successor entity.
- 2019
Boys & Girls Harbor merges into SCAN-Harbor
[1]The organization merges with Supportive Children’s Advocacy to create SCAN-Harbor and no longer operates independently.
- 2014
Anthony Drexel Duke dies
[1]The founder dies of cancer on April 30 at the age of 95.
- 1970
The organization expands into its Manhattan headquarters
[1]During the organization’s major growth period, it moves into the former Heckscher Building at One East 104th Street and Fifth Avenue.
- 1963
A year-round New York City center is established
[1]Duke acquires a townhouse on East 94th Street to provide services for Harbor children outside the summer season.
- 1954
East Hampton becomes the permanent camp location
[1]After several relocations, the organization establishes its permanent summer-camp site in East Hampton, New York.
- 1947
The camp reopens in Connecticut
[1]The summer program resumes at a Connecticut location known as Lord’s Highway.
- 1941
Camp operations are interrupted by wartime service
[1]Duke enters the U.S. Navy during the Second World War, interrupting the camp’s early operation.
- 1937
Boys Harbor is founded
[1]Anthony Drexel Duke establishes the organization as a residential summer camp for immigrant and disadvantaged boys.
Products and positioning
A community-based youth-development organization combining education, enrichment, prevention, and arts programming for children and teenagers, with a particular focus on young people from underserved New York City communities.
Preschool education
Emily N. Carey Harbor Preschool
An early-childhood education program forming part of the Harbor’s year-round services. It extended the organization’s work beyond its original summer-camp model and provided preschool-age children with structured educational and developmental support.
After-school and youth development
Harbor K.I.D.S.
An after-school and extended-day program for children approximately ages five through eleven. It was part of the Harbor’s effort to combine supervision, academic assistance, enrichment, and personal development for younger school-age participants.
Teen education and preparation
Harbor T.E.E.N.
An after-school and youth-services program for adolescents approximately ages twelve through eighteen. The program complemented the Harbor’s broader college-preparation, literacy, prevention, and workforce-readiness activities.
Performing-arts education
Harbor Conservatory for the Performing Arts
A performing-arts education program created as part of the Harbor’s expansion into creative development. It gave young participants access to structured arts instruction and complemented the organization’s academic and youth-development services.
Summer youth programs · 1937
Harbor Summer Programs
Seasonal programs descended from the original residential camp founded in 1937. Over time, the summer portfolio included activities for children and teenagers and incorporated educational, recreational, and performing-arts opportunities.
Brand decisions
2019
Merger with Supportive Children’s AdvocacyM&ABackground
Boys & Girls Harbor had developed from a summer camp into a broad youth-services organization serving children and teenagers in New York City. In 2019, it combined with Supportive Children’s Advocacy, known as SCAN.
Action taken
The two organizations merged to form SCAN-Harbor.
Aftermath
Boys & Girls Harbor ceased to exist as an independent organization, while its education, youth-development, and arts legacy became part of the successor organization.
Recent events
- 2019
Boys & Girls Harbor merges with Supportive Children’s Advocacy to form SCAN-Harbor[1]
M&A
Boys & Girls Harbor combined with Supportive Children’s Advocacy, also known as SCAN, ending the Harbor’s existence as an independent organization and creating SCAN-Harbor.
- 2014
Founder Anthony Drexel Duke dies at age 95[1]
Other
Anthony Drexel Duke, who founded Boys Harbor in 1937 and guided its long-term development, died of cancer on April 30, 2014.
Sources2 sources
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