Oculus - Fall 2016 - 28 FEATURE T CIVIC PURPOSE REPURPOSED: BRONX A landmark post office on the Grand Concourse will soon rise from hibernation to become a mixed-use community center, helping to catalyze the borough's renewal ©Studio V Architecture BY BILL MILL ARD he Bronx is still recovering from the "the Bronx is burning" headlines of the 1970s. But Jay Valgora, AIA, principal of Studio V Architecture, aims to erase those tragic memories. Valgora's firm is converting the Bronx General Post Office (GPO), a 1937 Thomas Harlan Ellett building at East 149th Street and Grand Concourse that has a streamlined look and monumental arched windows, from what he calls "an empty facility sitting on the borough's most important corner" to a multipurpose commercial magnet. Its lobby features the murals Resources of America by Ben and Bernarda Shahn, 13 frescos depicting workers in multiple fields: farms, heavy industry, and culture. They will be included in the revived landmark building, which will consist of retail, a food hall, a restaurant, Class A office space, arts/events programming, and a postal branch. The site, an inclined block located near Hostos Community College, Lincoln Hospital, and public transit, makes the new "Bronx Post Place" a gateway to a neighborhood and borough primed for a cultural and economic renaissance. Grandeur, mystery, and welcome The U.S. Postal Service's decision to sell the building overcame initial pushback. Borough President Rubén Diaz, Jr., and Rep. José Serrano both questioned the sale and urged the postal service not to proceed without community input; protecting the Shahns' work was a priority. Developer Young S. Woo, himself originally trained as an architect, admired Studio V's work on the Empire Stores in DUMBO and cold-called Valgora to give the area a center for commerce, arts, and ©Studio V Architecture The Bronx Post Office in its current condition. 28 Oculus Fall 2016 Authenticity + Innovation: Architecture Repurposed Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Oculus - Fall 2016 First Words Letter from the President Letter from the Editor Center for Architecture One Block Over Opener: Authenticity and Innovation Civic Purpose Repurposed: Brooklyn Civic Purpose Repurposed: Bronx A Study in Contrasts WeLive on Wall Street A Preservation Paradox Industrial Strength Innovation Rooted in History In Print 97-Year Watch Last Words Index to Advertisers Oculus - Fall 2016 - cover1 Oculus - Fall 2016 - cover2 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 3 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 4 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 5 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 6 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 7 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 8 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 9 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 10 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 11 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 12 Oculus - Fall 2016 - First Words Letter from the President Oculus - Fall 2016 - 14 Oculus - Fall 2016 - Letter from the Editor Oculus - Fall 2016 - 16 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 17 Oculus - Fall 2016 - Center for Architecture Oculus - Fall 2016 - 19 Oculus - Fall 2016 - One Block Over Oculus - Fall 2016 - 21 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 22 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 23 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 24 Oculus - Fall 2016 - Opener: Authenticity and Innovation Oculus - Fall 2016 - Civic Purpose Repurposed: Brooklyn Oculus - Fall 2016 - 27 Oculus - Fall 2016 - Civic Purpose Repurposed: Bronx Oculus - Fall 2016 - 29 Oculus - Fall 2016 - A Study in Contrasts Oculus - Fall 2016 - 31 Oculus - Fall 2016 - WeLive on Wall Street Oculus - Fall 2016 - 33 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 34 Oculus - Fall 2016 - A Preservation Paradox Oculus - Fall 2016 - 36 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 37 Oculus - Fall 2016 - Industrial Strength Oculus - Fall 2016 - 39 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 40 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 41 Oculus - Fall 2016 - Innovation Rooted in History Oculus - Fall 2016 - 43 Oculus - Fall 2016 - In Print Oculus - Fall 2016 - 97-Year Watch Oculus - Fall 2016 - 46 Oculus - Fall 2016 - Last Words Oculus - Fall 2016 - Index to Advertisers Oculus - Fall 2016 - 49 Oculus - Fall 2016 - 50 Oculus - Fall 2016 - cover3 Oculus - Fall 2016 - cover4 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0317 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0217 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0117 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0416 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0316 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0216 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0116 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0415 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0315 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0215 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0115 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0414 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0314 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0214 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0114 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0413 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0313 http://www.nxtbook.com/naylor/ARCQ/ARCQ0213 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0113 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0412 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0312 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0212 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0112 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0411 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0311 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0211 http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/naylor/ARCQ0111 http://www.nxtbookMEDIA.com