After several years of planning, renovations to the Broadway Market are expected to begin this summer. Capital funding for the $40-$45 million renovation is from Empire State Development and operations support for BMMI is funded by the Regional Revitalization Partnership (RRP), a multi-year $300 million collaborative initiative between New York State’s Empire State Development (ESD), local municipalities and private philanthropic partners. Downtown Revitalization Initiative funds, provided by NYS Department of State, are also included in the capital funding for the Broadway Fillmore neighborhood.
The overall design of the revitalization will include:
- A reorganization of the internal layout and circulation within the market to cluster year-round vendors along a central main aisle with adjoining areas for growth, and incorporation of expanded areas for prepared foods and food production;
- Razing of a rear parking structure that has experienced significant deterioration and replacement with a multi-purpose surface parking/loading area that can also host outdoor events;
- Restoration of various “character-defining” features such as the Art Moderne curved walls and window features of the building’s facade and highlighting of the structure’s internal concrete elements;
- Incorporation of new vendor stalls and improved mechanical, electrical and other internal systems; and
- New iconic sign elements and lighting on the Broadway and rear facades.
Broadway Market Management, Inc. (BMMI), a new not-for-profit corporation, has been established, in coordination with ESD, to operate the city-owned public market building.
“Our vision has always been a thriving Broadway Market for the East Side, and today we’re one step closer,” said Empire State Development President, CEO & Commissioner Hope Knight. “With major state and Regional Revitalization Partnership investment, we’re turning the tide on decades of decline and pursuing a plan that firmly reestablishes the market as a bustling hub in the heart of the Broadway-Fillmore neighborhood.”
In February, the proposed design for the market was determined eligible for a Type 2 Historic Preservation Certification by the National Park Service, which will enable the project to receive Historic Tax Credit financing. The Broadway Market, built in 1956, is eligible for inclusion on the National Register of Historic Places and is recognized as part of the Broadway Fillmore local historic district. The market, which occupied two prior buildings on the site, has been in place at this location since 1888 and has historically played an important role as a center for year-round, international, owner-operated, affordable fresh and prepared food shops and neighborhood services. As the community around it has changed, the market is now seeking to maximize its relevance to Broadway-Fillmore and to expand its customer base to serve as a sustainable stimulus to neighborhood development, as well as an attraction for the entire region…