The redevelopment team for the historic Kingsbridge Armory, now reimagined as El Centro Kingsbridge, was recently unveiled by Mayor Eric Adams, Governor Kathy Hochul, U.S. representative Adriano Espaillat, and NYCEDC president Andrew Kimball. Renovation will be a collaborative effort led by 8th Regiment Partners LLC with designs by architecture firm FXCollaborative. The Romanesque building, which is currently unused, opened in 1917 and is located on Jerome Avenue between West Kingsbridge Road and West 195th Street in The Bronx.
Phase One of the project will transform the Kingsbridge Armory’s 180,000-square-foot Drill Hall into a mixed-use hub. Plans include a state-of-the-art event venue, youth sports fields, cultural and commercial spaces, 25,000 square feet of community space, and an educational facility focused on workforce development. Phase Two will add 450 units of permanently affordable housing adjacent to the Armory. The redevelopment, backed by a $215 million investment from local and federal stakeholders, is projected to generate $2.6 billion in economic impact, create over 3,000 construction jobs, and provide 360 permanent jobs.
Photograph of Kingsbridge Armory, via edc.nyc
The renovation is the culmination of multiple rounds of community engagement, with over 4,000 participants contributing through events, surveys, and discussions. The resulting “Together for Kingsbridge Vision Plan” laid the foundation for 8th Regiment Partners’ winning proposal. Construction will be guided by a project labor agreement to ensure fair wages and benefits for workers, with environmental review starting this winter and land-use procedures anticipated in mid-2025.
“At the Kingsbridge Armory, our administration saw a historic yet underutilized site as an opportunity to dream and deliver a bold, forward-looking vision for The Bronx,” said Mayor Adams, “In just one location, we’re delivering affordable housing for our neighbors, sports fields for our children, community spaces for our families, and so much more. The future of The Bronx rests in the Kingsbridge Armory, a proposal made possible thanks to the partnership of Governor Hochul, Representative Espaillat, and the countless everyday New Yorkers who made their voices heard. Together, we are building a brighter, better future for The Bronx, starting with the Kingsbridge Armory.”
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What site exactly is “adjacent to the Armory” where this housing is to be built?
The rendering on the press release from the EDC website shows a residential building just north of the Armory.
I see it now. Not sure I like the fact the northern view of the Armory will be blocked by it and that little bit of landscaped breathing space will be lost. Looks like the Corbusian slab of a building will be shoehorned in there about as uncomfortably as those apartments next to St. John the Divine that went in some years back.
I’ll guess we’ll see what happens.
Honestly, that space is a no-mans-land right now. Functionally useless, and physically unattractive. Shoehorning an apartment building there, and creating a new space makes a lot of sense. The northern views of the Armory are nothing special and hopefully this new building has some connections into the armory to generate foot traffic through the space. It could also be beneficial to connect the Armory directly to the Kingsbridge Rd. station.
I would guess along Jerome Ave. Apartments have replaced the one story businesses there.
I have heard for decades about Kingsbridge Armory and various plans for it ( remember the skating rink?). Does it mean nothing will happen ( no we are seeing actual construction on the former Iron Triangle property which is larger and was NYC’s biggest eyesore ( Thank God for that), but until I see bulldozers call me skeptical
Thrilled that FXCollaborative is the designer here.
Pleased there is a sibstantial housing component here, which based on claimed unit count shoukd be a sizable building.
Thrilled the Armory itself will receive a loving restoration.
That said I do wish the ice center would have becone reality. That would have been such a unique venue that would have had high profile programming, been an all-city, al-resident attraction that would further energize the neighborhood, as well as fostering local talent.
Workforce development at “El Centro Kingsbridge” isn’t going to be on NBC Sports.
You are correct. It is a shame the Ice Center didn’t happen. That would have been a nationally unique facility. Sad the Winter Olympics trials won’t be happening in The Bronx. Had Bloomberg stayed in office it would have happened. Deblasio helped sabotage it because he saw ice sports as elitist.
That said – how can this facility be financially self sufficient???? Would it not cannibilize other facilities in the region – including stores? What value would this really add now? We shall see. But I think it might end up needing subsidy
I wouldn’t be surprised if this doesn’t happen. I know its landmarked but its better off being demolished and replaced with apartment towers and an entertainment venue. And what is this thing with developers using Latin themed names for developments? La Central and now El Centro, so stupid.
Not a fan of the name either honestly. Feels exclusionary to me and something this high profile shouldn’t be in another language no matter where this would. It would be just as inappropriate as a large public project with a Chinese name and characters in Chinese Flushing or a Hebrew name and characters in UOJ Borough Park.
You are right about the name. Pandering for votes. But nah – this is the largest armory in the whole country. It’s a landmark for a reason. We can’t demolish all of history
Wish someone would renovate and develop the Armory in Washington Heights.
Why? It’s the premiere indoor track and field facility in the country…. So it has an economic impact. The previous developers wanted to do the same thing for ice sports in the Bronx. But silly politics.
I am not certain the “summer people” are into winter sports. The Armory was used for trade shows way back when. I doubt that would work today. Some armories have been demolished. There was one on the upper Eastside where the “castle” part was kept and the rest torn down for a play area. Here in Flushing, a far smaller armory was turned into a district police headquarters. This stands on “holy ground” where the Flushing Remonstrance was signed in 1657.
I’m from Kingsbridge, 195 Y’all all are right about, they shouldn’t name it that! I just hope whatever they do, it serves, and up build’s my community, for the better. And brings many local jobs
Kingsbridge Armory on all meanings and explanations are here, including intent and vision: Thanks.
Will Morton williams let this be build
Will the politicians not ask for 200k dollars
So many promises nothing done