John George Leake (1752–1827) was a New York lawyer who had no children or siblings. Watts made the change, but died a few months later, leaving no will. The Leake fortune would then have passed to his father, John Watts, but considering the circumstances Watts was uncomfortable with receiving the money. Originally located at
Trinity Church, The site of the orphanage was purchased in 1891 by Bishop
Henry Codman Potter for the
Cathedral of St. John the Divine, and the building was to be torn down. However, the building was preserved as part of the
cathedral close, renovated in 2006, and is the oldest building still standing in Morningside Heights. In 1890 the orphanage opened in Yonkers. In 2012, a 16-year-old student named Corey Foster died at Leake and Watts while being restrained by the institution's staff after refusing to leave the basketball court. The institute's practices, which include
solitary confinement and punitive restraints, have been criticized. However, the Westchester County District Attorney led a three-month investigation into the incidence and concluded that no criminal charges were warranted. In 2018, Leake & Watts changed its name to Rising Ground. ==Timeline==