Project MUSE - Retired, Rehabbed, Reborn
13. Adaptive Reuse of the Dutch Reformed Church into the Jamaica Performing Arts Center, Queens, New York
Adaptive Reuse of the Dutch Reformed Church
233 Adaptive Reuse of the dutch reformed church into the Jamaica Performing Arts Center Queens, New York Robert A. Simons 13 Simons text.indb 233 10/20/16 11:47 AM 234
Robert A. Simons T his case describes the renovation of the empty First Dutch Reformed Church at 153–04 Jamaica Avenue in Queens, New York, into an additional facility of the Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning (JCAL) in the form of a new fourhundred -seat theater, the Jamaica Performing Arts Center (JPAC). (See Exhibit 13-1.) It has taken ten years to bring the Performing Arts Center project from idea conception to occupancy. The $20.85 million project, first occupied in 2009, is sponsored by the city of New York Department of Cultural Affairs, which put together internal funding from a number of city sources, aided by substantial leadership from the Queens Borough president ’s office, the New York City mayor, and the city council. The Greater Jamaica Development Corporation championed the project in the community and successfully won its acceptance. JCAL has a strong record of service in the community, and this is a second facility they have in their service area to expand artistry and programming. The building is rented from the city of New York for $1 per year. Introduction “Originally built in 1859, the First Reformed Church at 153rd and Jamaica Avenue in Queens, New York, is a Romanesque Revival structure featuring two asymmetrical towers. There was a major addition in about 1902, which was later torn down in the 1960s” (Padalka 2006). The building sits on about 1.5 acres. Before renovation the building had a shallow basement, one large sanctuary of about 8,000 sq. ft., and some smaller rooms. Site History In the early 1970s, about the same time the congregation using the building moved into another church nearby, the city of New York designated a 10-acre site around the original church as an urban renewal area so that it could build an office complex for the Social Security Administration (SSA). The Greater Jamaica Development Corporation (GJDC), the local not-for-profit economic development entity, supported the city’s plan, according to Carlisle Towery, executive director for GJDC. In the original proposal, the Social Security Administration was going to employ an elevated pedestrian bridge between buildings and preserve the church as an auditorium, partly because then-Senator Patrick Moynihan liked public art. The city therefore bought the church building and grounds from the Dutch Reformed Church at fair market value. Eventually, however, the SSA built its project without the church, opting instead for an internal auditorium. After the Social Security building plans proceeded without the church property, the city retained ownership. It nominally maintained the church and tried to find a user, leasing the property out to another church group from about 1980 until 1990. After the group left, the facility sat vacant for many years (C. Towery, personal communication , July 2008). According to Alex Padalka, “Without regular maintenance, the structure ’s slate roof, stained-glass windows, brownstone, sandstone, and terra cotta began falling apart” (Padalka 2006). The property was overlooked and underutilized, and waiting for a champion. Market Conditions The Jamaica Performing Arts Center is located in Queens County, New York. Queens is the largest in area and the second most populous of the five boroughs1 of New York City. According to the 2000 U.S. Census, Queens County had a total population of 2,229,379. The City-Data Web site estimated Simons text.indb 234 10/20/16 11:47 AM Adaptive Reuse of the Dutch Reformed Church
235 about a 2 percent increase in population (2,270,338) in the county from the year 2000 to 2007 (see Exhibit 13-2). Queens County has the largest Asian American population outside the Western United States, ranking fifth among U.S. counties (City-Data 2008). The site itself has excellent access. It is located along a busy commercial street about a half-hour subway ride from Manhattan, and it is very close to the E line NYC subway and the Long Island Railroad. Exhibit 13-1
Jamaica Performing Arts Center Location and Site Plans Simons text.indb 235 10/20/16 11:47 AM 236
Robert A. Simons Exhibit 13–2
Census Data 2000 and 2007 New York Kings Brooklyn Borough Census Tract 1142.01 Population ,457 2,465,326 2,465,326 1,382 2007 19...
You have access to this content
Free sample
Open Access
Restricted Access