In October 1863, a building at the corner of Eighty-sixth Street and Second Avenue was secured for girls and placed under the direction of the Sisters of Charity. This proving too small, a forty-acre farm was purchased in Westchester and a new building erected in 1859. When that building burned in 1872, the older girls were instructed to each escort a younger one and all escaped injury. Along with religious instruction and an elementary school education in common subjects, many girls were taught trades and often given the opportunity to work outside the school in favorable conditions. Those who showed either interest or aptitude received lessons in music, art, or crafts from the sisters.