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New York City Councilmember Robert Jackson presents Broadway Housing Communities’ Executive Director Ellen Baxter with a $2 million dollar check that represents capital funding for construction of new affordable housing complex that will also house a children’s cultural museum. Also present were New York State Assemblymembers Herman “Denny” Farrell and Guillermo Linares, who said of Baxter, “She’s a visionary and a fighter.”
Story and photos by Sherry Mazzocchi
Life in northern Manhattan just got a little bit rosier this week.
Standing at the corner of 155th St. and St. Nicholas Ave., Councilmember Robert Jackson presented a $2 million check this past Fri., Oct. 28th for the construction of The Sugar Hill Project, a 13-story, 124-unit complex that will also contain an early childhood center and the Sugar Hill Children's Museum of Art and Storytelling.
“This would not have happened if it wasn’t for an organization that cares about men, women, children…everyone,” he said, speaking of Broadway Housing Communities, the organization behind the new project, noting its commitment to the residents of northern Manhattan.
Ellen Baxter, executive director of Broadway Housing Communities, accepted the check from Jackson. A not-for-profit corporation, Broadway Housing has six affordable housing units in northern Manhattan, all developed from existing buildings. The Sugar Hill Project represents Broadway Housing’s first foray in the construction of new affordable housing units.
The building is designed to look like a wall of roses when viewed from afar. The rose pattern will be etched into graphite-infused concrete, tinted with a grayish purple hue, which will shimmer in the sun.
W Magazine revealed that Architect David Adjaye’s inspiration came from Aretha Franklin’s “Spanish Harlem.” Adjaye also designed the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History and Culture.
State Assemblymen Herman Farrell, Jr. and Guillermo Linares as well as Democratic District Leader Maria Luna were also on hand to praise Baxter’s initiative.
Luna said that that, unlike most new housing, this was not constructed for wealthy people, but instead will house “the poorest of the poorest.” Tenants will be selected via a lottery. A majority the units are slated for tenants with low incomes, such as a family of four earning $38,400 or less.
Way and Means Committee Chairman Farrell, who grew up only blocks from the site, said he didn’t want to see the neighborhood become too gentrified. “We need places for people to live that they can afford,” he said.
Assemblyman Linares said some doubted that the site, formerly a 300-car garage, would ever become a new affordable housing complex. “It took one person—Ellen Baxter—to make it happen,” he said. “She’s a visionary and a fighter.”
In an interview, Baxter said demolition would commence this week. The building is scheduled for a December 2013 completion, and is to be readied for occupancy by January 2014.
Broadway Housing did not initially intend to construct a new building, Baxter said. The high cost of real estate made it a practical decision. Buying an existing building meant they could only house 20 families. The new building will house 51 single adults and 73 families and provide community services.
The cost is an estimated $73 million.
The funding comes from a patchwork of sources: loans and grants from federal, state and local governments as well as tax credits from Bank One and private foundations including the Sirus Fund. The $2 million dollar check presented by Jackson is from New York City Council’s capital budget.
Baxter is also seeking funding for a sustainable green roof and is consulting with rooftop farms such as Brooklyn Eagle, who would grow produce for sale to local restaurants.
The building’s Early Childhood Education Center will provide 100 pre-school children with a licensed Head Start program. The children will also have access to the cultural programs at the museum. The cultural center is inspired after Faith Ringgold, originally from Harlem, an artist renowned for combining painting, quilted fabrics and stories into a vibrant visual art, and whose works have been exhibited in major museums such as the Guggenheim Museum, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Museum of Modern Art.
“This is the part of the project we are the most excited about,” said Baxter.
An earlier version of this article incorrectly identified the museum as the "Faith Ringgold Children's Museum of Art and Storytelling." The Manhattan Times regrets the error.
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