Groundbreaking held for 19,000 s/f Weeksville Heritage Society building

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, cultural affairs commissioner Kate Levin, design and construction commissioner David Burney, borough president Marty Markowitz, councilman Domenic Recchia Jr., council member Darlene Mealy and Weeksville Heritage Center executive director Pam Green broke ground recently on the new Education and Cultural Arts Building at the Weeksville Heritage Society's historic Hunterfly Road Houses. The Hunterfly Road Houses are the only surviving, intact residential structures remaining of Weeksville, an African American community in the borough which dates back to 1838. The city has committed $23 million in funding for the new 19,000 s/f facility, which will provide a new orientation point for visitors, and will quadruple the organization's current programming space. Designed by Caples Jefferson Architects, the facility will anchor the southeast end of Weeksville's site, facing the historic Hunterfly Homes, which date from 1840 to 1883 and were situated on what was Hunterfly Rd., an old Native American trail and later a Dutch colonial road. The building design and the adjacent landscape was the recipient of the Mayor's Art Commission 2005 Design Awards, and will feature a sculpture by artist Chakaia Booker, as part of the New York City "Percent for Art" program. The new building will expand Weeksville's educational offerings, and increase the public performance schedule. In addition to providing a venue for local artists, the Education and Cultural Arts Building will also create new opportunities for teaching history while engaging neighbors from Bedford-Stuyvesant and visitors from the five boroughs and throughout the world. Caples Jefferson's design has already garnered several awards and is expected to be granted Gold-level Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certification for its use of sustainable materials and energy efficient systems, furthering the administration's commitment to creating a sustainable city. This project is the next phase in Weeksville's capital plan, and builds on the successful renovation of the Hunterfly Homes. These four historic houses, restored to three different time periods-the 1870s, 1900s and 1930s-serve as the foundation for Weeksville's transformation into an extraordinary cultural campus. The new building will include: * Exhibition space for both permanent and rotating exhibits; * Workshops and classrooms for programs, which range from an acclaimed teen writing workshop to genealogy classes, from programs in gardening and folk arts, to courses on historic preservation, both for homeowners and for young people developing job skills; * A resource center for educators and scholars, where research will be conducted and disseminated, curricula developed and teachers trained; * A performing arts 200-seat venue that will bring topnotch dance, theatre, and musical events to the neighborhood; and * Essential programming, research, and administrative space for staff and food services and rest areas.