The New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) has selected the design-build team of Consigli Construction and TenBerke to renovate the Abe Stark Sports Center in Coney Island, Brooklyn.
The Abe Stark Sports Center was designed by Daniel Chait and opened in 1970—it measures 46,000 square feet. Architecturally, the building is defined by umbrella columns that support a sloped roof. Clerestories wrap its envelope, and its cavernous interior is primarily a hockey rink. The building’s namesake is “Mr. Brooklyn” Abe Stark, a Brooklyn borough president who served in the 1950s and ’60s.
The De Blasio administration initially proposed demolishing and replacing the rink in 2019, but community opposition saved the sports center. Now, TenBerke’s goal is to “re-establish the sports center as a vibrant hub for recreation and strengthen its connection to the surrounding community,” the office shared in a statement.
TenBerke was a natural choice to renovate the sports center, given its commitment to adaptive reuse. Noticeable changes at the Abe Stark Sports Center will include a new boardwalk entrance and upgrades to the skating rink. More details about the building’s transformation will come in the next few months.
Charles Denson, Coney Island History Project director, applied for landmark status to the LPC last year for the Abe Stark Sports Center. Denson’s RFE application was accepted by the LPC last May and the hearing is pending, Denson told AN. “I don’t know how the city’s recently announced plans to renovate the structure will affect the application but I hope that the facade is preserved,“ Denson said.
The renovation is part of a $1 billion investment project in Coney Island announced by the New York City Mayor’s Office last year. ONE Architecture & Urbanism is leading the masterplan for Coney Island West, which entails the construction of 1,500 new homes and improvements to the Riegelmann Boardwalk.
New residential buildings fitted with 500 units designed by IMC Architecture and backed by RYBAK Development will be built on an 80,000-square-foot lot adjacent to the Abe Stark Sports Center owned by the city. That development will be called Tilyou Towers.
Tilyou Towers will also feature a 3,000-square-foot public plaza in front of the complex. Eugene Mekhtiyev, IMC Architecture principal, said the Tilyou Towers will have a “sand-toned and taupe facade” that recalls the beach and ocean waves.
The sports center’s renovation by TenBerke denotes the NYCEDC’s first Progressive Design-Build project, a new program meant to accelerate public projects. Today, TenBerke is also designing a new 72-story, all-electric tower in downtown Brooklyn.
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