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
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
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