by Brooklyn Bridge Park on Aug 25, 2010
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
www.nyc.gov
BROOKLYN BRIDGE PARK RELEASES REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS TO TRANSFORM FORMER TOBACCO WAREHOUSE INTO CULTURAL, EDUCATIONAL AND COMMUNITY SPACE
Brooklyn Bridge Park today announced it is seeking proposals for the rehabilitation and adaptive reuse of the former Tobacco Warehouse for cultural, educational or community use. The Tobacco Warehouse is an historic 25,000 square foot open air structure with stabilized exterior walls, located in the Empire Fulton Ferry Park section of Brooklyn Bridge Park. The Request for Proposals seeks proposers who are interested in leasing, redeveloping, and being the primary occupant of the Site as a cultural facility with community uses, and subtenants, interested in using the new facility, which would allow the facility to provide a wide array of cultural programming.
“With the release of this requests for proposals, we embark on a new cultural life for the iconic Tobacco Warehouse” said Brooklyn Bridge Park President Regina Myer. “Working with the NYC Departments of Cultural Affairs and Parks & Recreation, local elected officials and community representatives, we have crafted a thoughtful RFP to engage cultural, educational and community organizations across the city. We look forward to responses that respect the historic structure and bring programming excellence, thereby enriching Brooklyn Bridge Park.”
The objectives of the RFP are:
- Creating a new high quality year-round facility in the park to house cultural, arts, educational and/or civic and community uses that would activate the park and provide public programming both at the site and throughout the park.
- Restoring the facility as an active community amenity that will provide access to the general public and be available for community use.
- Stabilizing and preserving the historic structure, to the extent possible.
- Integrating the Tobacco Warehouse with the operations and public facilities of the Park in a manner sensitive to its historic surroundings.
- Creating a financially self-sustaining model for the continued upkeep and maintenance of the facility without subsidy from Brooklyn Bridge Park for development, construction or ongoing operations.
Proposals are due on October 18, 2010. To review the Request for Proposals, visit bbpprod2020.wpengine.com.
When complete, Brooklyn Bridge Park will be a sustainably built and operated 85-acre park stretching 1.3 miles along Brooklyn’s East River edge and will include lawns, active recreation fields and courts, a calm water boating basin for non-motorized craft, restored ecological habitats, playgrounds, and a shared bikeway and walkway. Pier 1 opened to the public in March 2010 and Pier 6 opened in June 2010.
Designed by Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates, Inc., the park has won several important awards including the National Park Service’s 2010 Honor Award for Master Plans.
The Brooklyn Bridge Park Corporation, known as Brooklyn Bridge Park, is the not-for-profit entity responsible for the planning, construction, maintenance and operation of Brooklyn Bridge Park, an 85-acre sustainable waterfront park stretching 1.3 miles along Brooklyn’s East River shoreline.
Brooklyn Bridge Park is one of the nine waterfront destinations that comprise NYHarborWay, an initiative of the Bloomberg Administration to make the New York Harbor a major recreational destination for New Yorkers and visitors. Spearheaded by NYC & Company, the initiative eventually will connect the nine major waterfront points of interest by ferry or bike greenways. In addition, NYHarborWay will develop a cohesive programming, marketing and communications platform which will drive visitation to the nine waterfront sites. In addition to Brooklyn Bridge Park, the destinations are Governors Island, Hudson River Park, The Battery, Ellis Island, Liberty Island, Atlantic Basin, the East River Esplanade and Liberty State Park.
