Oculus - Fall 2016 - 26

©Marvel Architects FEATURE CIVIC PURPOSE REPURPOSED: BROOKLYN T At a Crown Heights armory where cavalry once maneuvered, a public/ private/philanthropic collaboration is supporting its conversion into a multipurpose complex that balances historical and community priorities ©Marvel Architects BY BILL MILL ARD The drill shed as seen from the original observation balcony, which will be restored; photo taken April 2016. 26 Oculus Fall 2016 he Bedford-Union Armory, an Art Nouveau palace in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn, was "where the Rough Riders trained," explains Jonathan Marvel, FAIA, principal at Marvel Architects. He is referring to original tenants of the brick and stone pile, built from 1903 to 1907 to a design by Lewis Pilcher and William Tachau, the Troop C Cavalry Unit, later part of the fabled First U.S. Cavalry. In its post-equine life, the armory's 58,000-square-foot drill shed has been used for film shoots, Caribbean and Hasidic community gatherings, and distribution of aid supplies after the Haitian earthquake. "We no longer need horses," Marvel continues, "but we do need housing. So replacing the stables with housing is a wonderful tradeoff." The revamped armory, including head house, converted stables, and a residential addition, will give civilians homes and recreational/ educational/cultural spaces, operated by local nonprofit CAMBA. Brooklynborn Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony's foundation plans to assist the project. The head house will include office space, and the rental section will hold classrooms for Medgar Evers College. It takes an urban village, it seems, for a 542,000-square-foot project covering 80% of its block to realize its potential. Full size and fully accessible John Valladares, representing developer BFC Partners (operating with Slate Property Group as Bedford Courts), chose a mix heavy on recreation based on a 2012 NYU report prepared for then-Borough President Marty Markowitz, which saw conversion of the armory as potentially a major step in overcoming poverty and crime in its Crown Heights neighborhood. The building has not been designated a landmark, which opened the door to drastic modifications that were once on the table. "There was a challenge to get as much affordable housing on the site as you could," reports Marvel's partner, Guido Hartray, AIA. One plan involved shortening the drill shed to spread housing across more of the site. However, the community favored "maintaining as much of the usable athletic recreational space of the drill shed as you could," he says. The rental building will be 13 stories, set back from shorter buildings on Rogers Avenue. "The only transformation we're doing on the outside of the head house is one new ADA-accessible entrance," he adds. The head house gets a café and similar small commercial uses, serving "1,000 hungry kids a day plus parents waiting." None of the retail opens directly outside. The masonry exterior "doesn't lend itself to glass shop windows." Authenticity + Innovation: Architecture Repurposed

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Oculus - Fall 2016