An East Harlem firehouse on East 125th Street has sat vacant for more than a decade, but it's now getting new life as the home base of the Caribbean Cultural Center African Diaspora Institute. The design team from CSA Group shared the first renderings with the Daily News, giving the first glimpse at the landmarked building's artsy future. Jorge Luaces, the director of design for CSA Group, said that the building will "transcend time." The 1888 Romanesque Revival-style facade will be restored, and the interior will hold an open, modern art center with multi-purpose rooms for films, performances, and literature programs, as well as a cafe, media center, and shop.
A groundbreaking is set for next week, and the $7.5 million project will be complete by November 2015. The cultural center is certainly great for the neighborhood, but a small (ok, large) part of our brain wishes someone could have converted it into apartments, or even better, a townhouse.
· Afro-Caribbean Cultural Center Raises $7.5 M for the Rebirth of Long-Vacant East Harlem Firehouse [NYDN]
· East Harlem Firehouse to Become New Cultural Center [Curbed]