Some of the Bronx’s biggest institutions have large-scale development plans for 2024, thanks in part to a recent allocation of city funding.
Seven arts and culture organizations in the borough recently learned that they would be recipients of $28 million in funding, as part of the city’s Fiscal Year 2024 Budget.
NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) Commissioner Laurie Cumbo made the announcement last month at the New York Botanical Garden (NYBG), which heads the list of organizations that will benefit from city grants in the upcoming year. DCLA focuses on the city’s non-profit cultural organizations, and is the largest municipal funder of arts and culture in the U.S.
The grants will go toward new construction, renovations, equipment purchases and other improvements, and come as part of $222.8 million in citywide capital funding from Mayor Eric Adams ($117 million), the City Council ($79.3 million) and borough presidents ($26.5 million) — contributing to more than 75 cultural groups across the five boroughs.
“Our cultural institutions highlight the very best of the Bronx and highlight the rich beauty and diversity of our great borough,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson. “This ensures that our cultural gems, such as the New York Botanical Garden, receive the necessary funding to upgrade their facilities with state-of-the-art equipment.”
Utilizing a $2 million grant from the Department of Cultural Affairs, NYBG will construct a brand new state-of-the-art Site Operations Center. The project, at a total cost of $25 million, will be among the borough’s first “net-positive energy” facilities — generating more energy than it consumes.
NYBG will transform its outdated operations yard into a 21st century one that will feature innovative building techniques, such as mass timber construction, geothermal wells and a solar photovoltaic system.
The project, which is currently in the final stages of design, is expected to take about 18 months to develop.
To date, the city has already contributed more than $15 million to the project, according to NYBG.
“The staff and board of NYBG are passionate about making the Botanical Garden’s National Historic Landmark campus a welcoming, sustainable and accessible place for the public to connect for the natural world,” said Jennifer Bernstein, chief executive officer of NYBG. “The city’s leadership investment in the garden’s Site Operations Center, along with projects throughout the Bronx, demonstrates that the mayor, the (DCLA) commissioner and their teams recognize the unmatched power of cultural organizations as drivers of economic strength and social vibrancy.”
Other local organizations that will benefit from city funding include the Bronx County Historical Society, the Bronx Museum of the Arts, THE POINT Community Development Corporation, Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater, Wave Hill and the Bronx Zoo.
The historical society, located at 3309 Bainbridge Ave., received an allocation of $1 million toward the construction of an ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) entrance, which will be located immediately north of the 18th century Museum of Bronx History house, the second oldest building in the Bronx as well as a national landmark — along with an ADA ramp and bathroom.
“We are thrilled to expand the Museum of Bronx History, situated in a 265-year-old national landmark historic house — and such homes present unique challenges for accessibility,” said Steven Payne, director of the Bronx County Historical Society. “This investment will allow us to make our exhibits and programming on Bronx history more accessible to all.”
The Bronx Museum of the Arts, which was founded in 1971 before moving to its current location at 1040 Grand Concourse in 2006, will receive $2.6 million in capital funding for a renovation of the building’s South Wing Atrium, which will add new programming areas and improved accessibility.
“We are very grateful for this steadfast support for our cultural jewel in the Bronx,” said museum Executive Director Klaudio Rodriguez. “The Bronx Museum will further amplify its ability to educate, engage and provide a critical community gathering space, while bringing a world class art facility to the Bronx and throughout New York City.”
THE POINT Community Development Corporation, which has serviced the Hunts Point neighborhood for more than 20 years, will use its $300,000 allocation toward a building and site renovation. The Point, located at 940 Garrison Ave., dedicates itself to youth development, as well as the cultural and economic revitalization of Hunts Point, according to the organization’s mission statement.
Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater will use a $250,000 grant toward the construction of their new company headquarters on Walton Avenue and 149th Street.
“Investments in our cultural facilities generate sustained economic activity, build pathways for creative careers and enhance community participation,” according to Arnaldo J. Lopez, managing director of Pregones/Puerto Rican Traveling Theater.
The Puerto Rican Traveling Theater was one of the country’s first bi-lingual theater companies when it was established in 1967. Pregones was founded in 1979, and the two theater companies merged in 2014.
The Wave Hill Public Garden & Cultural Center in Riverdale will use $3.1 million toward an elevated walkway that will provide an easier route leading to a portion of the garden. The current path at Wave Hill — a 28-acre green spaces of gardens and woodlands overlooking the Hudson River — is inaccessible to wheelchair users, stroller users and others with limited mobility.
“We couldn’t be more thrilled about this vote of confidence in the Bronx, and the need for access to all that this terrific borough has to offer,” said Wave Hill president and executive director Ray Oladapo-Johnson.
According to John Calvelli, executive vice president of public affairs for the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which manages the Bronx Zoo, the Monkey House will be “reimagined as a World of Primates,” replacing the 120-year-old structure which closed in 2012.
With an allocation of $18.5 million, the interactive World of Primates exhibit will feature many different species of primates from Africa, South America and southeast Asia and include inspiring primate conservation stories from around the world, according to the WCS.
“This investment will ensure that the Bronx Zoo will continue to educate, engage and inspire two million visitors each year,” said Calvelli.
Reach Steven Goodstein at sgoodstein@schnepsmedia.com or (718) 260-4561. For more coverage, follow us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @bronxtimes
