| Location | The Bronx, New York, United States |
|---|---|
| Address | 610 Gateway Center Boulevard |
| Opening date | 2009 |
| Developer | BTM Development Partners |
| Owner | The Related Companies |
| Architect | GreenbergFarrow Architect, Brennan Beer Gorman/Architects |
| Total retail floor area | 913,000 square feet (84,800 m2) |
| Parking | 6-story, 2,600 car parking garage |
| No. of floors | 3 (North building), 4 (South building) |
| Website | Official website |
The Gateway Center at Bronx Terminal Market is a shopping center in The Bronx, New York. The center encompasses less than one million square feet of retail space, built on a 17-acre (69,000 m2) site that formerly held the Bronx Terminal Market, a wholesale fruit and vegetable market as well as the former Bronx House of Detention, south of Yankee Stadium.
The $500 million shopping center, which was completed in 2009, saw the construction of new buildings and two smaller buildings, one new and the other a renovation of an existing building that was part of the original market. The two main buildings are linked by a six-level garage for 2,600 cars.[1] The center has earned itself a LEED "Silver" designation in its design.[2]
Contents |
Located just south of Yankee Stadium under the Major Deegan Expressway, the Bronx Terminal Market was conceived in 1917 by New York City mayor John F. Hylan. Construction on the market started, but wasn't completed until mayor Fiorello La Guardia took office, in which he enacted a program constructing various markets to provide a home for the city's numerous pushcart vendors. Between October 1, 1934, and May 1, 1935, the city built a new complex just south of the existing unfinished structure. The terminal market consisted of small two-story concrete buildings of simple design. Designed by Samuel Oxhandler with John D. Churchill and Albert W. Lewis, the buildings were originally painted light yellow. In 1936, the market's flagship structure went up, a small, cubist-style polygon at 149th Street with "Bronx Terminal Market" in large relief in the concrete. This building was designed to serve as a bank and, upstairs, a hotel for farmers. A float bridge brought in rail cars by barge to the market.[3]
On December 21, 1935, mayor La Guardia appeared at the market to proclaim a city-wide ban on the sale, display, and possession of artichokes. The ban was instituted to combat the inflation of artichokes set by mobsters, namely Ciro Terranova. The ban was lifted within a year.
The market eventually grew to become the nation’s largest wholesale market for Hispanic foods. The market went into steady decline, however, under landlord David Buntzman, who obtained a 99-year lease to the market in 1972. In the market's heyday, it contained nearly 100 tenants and more than 1,000 employees. After a series of protracted legal battles with the City, Buntzman sold his interest to the Related Companies for $42.5 million in 2004.[4]
Nearby the Bronx Terminal Market, a 350-cell jail, designed by Joseph Freedlander was built as a Works Progress Administration project and opened in 1937 as the Bronx County Jail. Later known as the Bronx House of Detention, it was known for its elaborate art deco architectural details. It closed in 2000 and was later acquired by the Related Companies, who demolished it to make way for the new Gateway Center; some architectural details of the building were saved.[5]
On August 14, 2006, construction began on the Gateway Center, which demolished all buildings on the acquired properties with the exception of the Prow Building, a 20,500-square-foot (1,900 m2) building at the corner of East 149th Street and River Avenue. The center was approved after a Community Benefits Agreement was signed. The Home Depot was the first tenant to move in on April 23, 2009.
Gateway Center is an eight-minute-walk from the 149th Street-Grand Concourse station, served by the 2, 4 and 5 lines, and from the 161st Street-Yankee Stadium station, served by the 4 B D trains. It is a two-minute walk from the Metro-North Railroad station at Yankee Stadium. The center is also accessible by car via the 4/5 exit on the Major Deegan Expressway.