Paralleling the LGBTQ community’s civil rights struggle, the physical expression of queer places within the urban built environment have gone from closed door underground speakeasys, often persecuted and raided by police, to segregated gayborhoods, to an emerging mainstreaming that suggests a new level of integration within the larger society.
2. INTRO
Paralleling the LGBTQ community’s civil
rights struggle, the physical expression of
queer places within the urban built
environment have gone from closed door
underground speakeasys, often persecuted
and raided by police, to segregated
gayborhoods, to an emerging mainstreaming
that suggests a new level of integration within
the larger society. The evolution of what a
Queer place is follows a trajectory of being
invisible towards a self-definition of visibility.
The fact that we are of every background,
gender, gender expression, race, nationality,
ethnicity, class, religion and any other subset
that comes to mind means we have presence
and a stake in shaping the redevelopment of
the communities where we live and work.
As the Bronx, and particularly the South
Bronx, faces a future of confronting
increased pressures of gentrification,
expanding the definition of what needs to be
included in the process of redeveloping
existing neighborhoods can be an asset in
helping to create a more balanced and
healthy built environment. Affordable
housing, healthcare, education, and healthy
food options can be thought of as a palette of
community needs that can be planned for,
and physically integrated and designed into
the built environment. Queer presence—
visibility—should be part of that palette of
community needs.
BACKGROUND
Historically, the “The HUB” has been the
retail, theater, and restaurant heart of
the South Bronx. Its epicenter is located
where four streets intersect: East 149th
Street, and Willis, Melrose
and Third Avenues. The HUB has also been
called "the Broadway of the Bronx” because
of its density and diagonal geometry, but also
because it was previously home to a
concentration of theaters and entertainment
venues. The larger macro neighborhood is
roughly bounded north and south by 156th to
145th and east to west from St. Mary’s Park
to Morris Avenue.
3. Moving Picture
House
Royal Theatre
Miners Theatre
National Theatre
Bronx Opera
House
Piano Factory
Bromley Insurance Map; Bronx Hub, 1921
Much of existing current built fabric of the
HUB is resultant development of a post-
rural Bronx constructed in the early 20th
century. As such, the area was developed
through ad-hoc zoning (first established in
NYC in 1916) and significantly shaped by
both subway and elevated transit systems
which ran elevated along Third, Bergen and
Westchester Avenues, and underground at
149th Street. During the 1920s there were
half a dozen theaters in the immediate area
along Third Avenue, as well as small
department stores and small manufacturing
facilities, including a piano factory.
Post WWII, the neighborhood
demographics shifted from Italian and
Jewish, to a Puerto Rican, African American
and generally colorized neighborhood. As
part of a larger trend and attitude towards
inner-city neighborhoods, racism, coupled
with white flight, redlining and overall
economic disenfranchisement, brought
about abandonment and disrepair of the
area’s building stock, while also seeing all
of its historical entertainment venues and
theaters close.
PRESENT DAY
Presently, the neighborhood reflects the
macro redevelopment forces in play across
the city and, in particular, to areas close or
adjacent to Manhattan. The discussion
regarding gentrification plays out against a
backdrop of new development projects
already taking place. Two projects, Via
Verde and La Central are noteworthy
because they are representative of the city’s
policies regarding arresting outright market-
driven speculation and gentrification. Via
Verde, the cutting edge, green affordable
housing complex of 222 units, and the under
construction La Central, with a planned 992
units, are development models with a
complex layering of public/private financing,
political/philosophical attitudes regarding
affordability, and governmental structures set
up to interact with, as well as provide input
from, the surrounding neighborhood. They
represent one formula for addressing the
need for affordable housing in New York City
that is being replicated in economically
disenfranchised neighborhoods spanning
from East New York, Brooklyn to Jerome
Avenue in the Bronx.
4. The current boundaries of the HUB BID encompass 8 blocks (some partial) running
north from 148th Street to just north of 152nd Street, along Third Avenue, and also
Bergen Street. There are approximately 72 buildings and 4 vacant lots. 24 buildings
(+/- 25%) are 4 stories in height or more. 48 buildings as well as the vacant lots (+/-
75%) are 3 stories or less in height.
Because of their scale and resultant footprint
these new affordable housing developments
typically include “community facilities” which
are meant to provide a level of support
services and cultural enrichment to the
newly-constructed housing component.
These facilities are typically available/
accessible to the surrounding neighborhood.
Depending on location and zoning, retail and
commercial spaces can also be part of the
new development, but, in areas which are
primarily zoned residential, commercial
occupancy is by code (commercial overlay)
zoned to be a subordinate use group.
THIRD AVENUE BID
In 1988 the Third Avenue Business
Improvement District (HUB BID) was created
along the Third Avenue Shopping corridor.
The HUB BID straddles the boundaries of
both the Mott Haven and Melrose
communities and presently is made up of a
building fabric that is almost exclusively
commercial, but also that exists intact as a
Pre-War, heavily foot trafficked pedestrian
shopping street. According to the HUB BID
more than 200,000 people cross the
intersection of 149th Street and 3rd Avenue
on a daily basis.
The area is zoned for commercial use but
has the option for the allowance of mixed-use
occupancy buildings.
VISIBLE QUEER PLACES
AQC Architect began working with the Bronx HUB Third Avenue Business Improvement District (HUB BID)
in May of 2017. Our initial work involved providing as of right massing models for potential development
sites, that reflected a new mixed-use building typology for the district (combined commercial, community
facility and residential occupancies). During this period several Bronx-based LGBTQ organizations that are
seeking permanent space explored the possibility of finding space with the HUB BID District. Destination
Tomorrow, The Bronx Academy of Arts and Dance (BAAD), Bronx Pride and Boogie Down Pride are all
Bronx-based LGBTQ organizations that could benefit from the HUB’s central location and availability of
developable square footage.
One aspect of the historical marginalization of the larger LGBTQ community within American society is
linked to the community’s invisibility outside of urban queer districts (gayborhoods). Marginalization is
physically expressed through a lack of visibility within the built environment such as physical markers that
readily signify the existence/presence of LGBTQ community and people. Within economically
disenfranchised neighborhoods this is further exacerbated because of the additional layering of systems of
institutionalized oppression such as racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia, poverty, etc.
Planning that incorporates dedicating a portion of the future redevelopment of the HUB District to
community facilities that house permanent spaces for LGBTQ organizations would be beneficial to the
macro development of the area based on the following:
5. 1- Because some of the LGBTQ organizations are based on performance arts, the reestablishment of
entertainment venues comes full circle with the area’s history as a theatrical destination.
2- The HUB is already a unique mix of peoples from various cultural, ethnic, racial, linguistic, and religious
backgrounds. By embracing its LGBTQ community, the HUB enriches its identity and uniqueness as a
distinctive and diverse neighborhood.
3- Queer visibility through planned symbolic architectural expression helps to normalize and integrate the
LGBTQ community within the larger built fabric. Not only does it provide a physical foundation for
previously marginalized organizations to achieve permanency and sustained growth, it offers non-LGBTQ
people the possibility to engage and develop working bonds with the queer community.
AQC Architect produced schematic renderings, imagining queer organizations being housed at three
different sites. Each site has a corner condition and is located strategically close to the HUB intersection at
149th Street and Third Avenue. Architecturally, the idea was to propose three different expressions of
visibility that are unique to each site, while also creating a visual linkage across the neighborhood that
begins to define a sub-set neighborhood.
1- The Aquarium:
Gigantic-sized lobby
reception space faces
street behind glass wall;
use of jumbo-sized
imagery related to
neighborhood
performance artists.
3- Sculpted Void: Facade
retracts and creates an
in-out relationship with
the street, where
performance can be
shared by a formally-
seated audience or
visually, from the street.
2- Veiled Beacon:
Existing building
fenestration/openings
are used to reveal a
symbolic sculptural
beacon at a highly
visible corner.
3- DEMO-NEW CONSTRUCTION
1- VACANT LOT
2- EXISTING
BUILDING
THREE SCENARIOS OF VISIBILITY
6. The first condition, a vacant lot on the corner of Westchester and Bergen Avenue. The lot has a foot print of
16,655 s/f, with 120 l/f along Westchester Avenue. Under the Community Facility Zoning a mixed use building
of approximately 125,000 s/f could be developed at the site. A 20 story building with a full lot coverage base
up to 60 feet in height containing a performance space and commercial occupancy, would support a 16 story
residential tower above.
The lobby of the performance space is imagined as a glass box with larger then life eye candy imagery
of performance artists affiliated with Bronx LGBTQ venues and visible from the street. The scale of the
imagery is reminiscent of Time Square.
1 - VACANT LOT 423 WESTCHESTER AVE.
THE AQUARIUM
7. 2 - EXISTING BUILDING 2885 THIRD AVE.
VEILED BEACON
The second condition is adaptive reuse of an existing building. The building built in 1896, was the first
steel-skeleton building built in the Bronx. Initially it served as a dry goods store/warehouse under the name
of Lyons & Chabot. In 1911 it became the Blumstein & Co Department Store, in 1940 it was transformed
into the Sachs Furniture Store until the late 1970’s. Recently a new Blink Fitness Center opened up on the
1st and 2nd floors, the Third Avenue BID was looking at using the vacant third and fourth floors as a
possible LGBTQ center for the Bronx.
The corner of the building at 150th and Third Ave is visible and identifiable from all corners of the
intersection at 149th and Third Ave., including the entries/exits of the 2/5 subway stop. A non-rectilinear
shard shape comprised of rainbow colored glass is inserted into the corner at the roof and penetrates down
to the ceiling of the Third Floor. The rainbow shard serves as a beacon and would be engineered to have a
palette of natural and artificial lighting options.
8. 3 - DEMO/NEW CONSTRUCTION BLOCK 2293
SCULPTED VOID
Block 2293, bounded by Willis & Bergen Avenues, between 148th and 149th Streets. The block consists of several
2-3 story retail commercial buildings and one large warehouse building. Many of the spaces at not occupied above
the ground floor and the west side (Willis Avenue) is adjacent to Roberto Clemente Plaza.
Block 2293 totals 34,700 s/f. Under Community Facility Zoning the block could yield up to 260,000 gross square feet
(including cellar), this would include more then 85,000 square feet of new residential occupancy.
Taking advantage of the site’s relationship to Roberto Clemente Plaza an indoor/outdoor performance space would
link the pedestrian street level with a formal seated auditorium space by means of a stage for performance arts.
9. I - CROSS NEIGHBORHOOD CONNECTIVITY
STREET & AERIAL VIEWS
10. II - CROSS NEIGHBORHOOD CONNECTIVITY
STREET & AERIAL VIEWS
11. Anthony Q. Crusor principal AQC Architect PC based in the Bronx HUB.
Anthony holds both Architecture and Real Estate Development degrees from
Columbia University and has been a practicing architect in New York City for
over 25 years.
