From Officers Quarters to a Nonprofit's Headquarters: An Interview with PACA Associate Gustavo Carrera
Victoria Pilotti, President of the Center for the Women of New York, with Gustavo Carrera, Page Ayres Cowley Architecture Associate, standing in front of Building 207.
The rehabilitation of Building 207 in the historic Fort Totten park was a 3-year project that ended up taking 17. It’s a great example of the dedication required in historic preservation —and how that dedication can pay off. Now home to the Center for the Women of New York (CWNY), this former officer’s quarters has been repurposed to serve that nonprofit’s everyday needs, including housing its offices, research center, and museum.
Page Ayres Cowley Architecture was the firm in charge of the restoration work. We reached out to PACA Associate Gustavo Carrera to ask a few questions about this incredible transformation.
Building 207 at Fort Totten had been vacant for decades. What were some of the biggest challenges or most interesting discoveries during your restoration?
Raccoon rescue in progress. Credit: Page Ayres Cowley Architecture
One of the biggest challenges we encountered was the inhabitants of the building. Initially, we could not enter the building due to a raccoon infestation and years of raccoon feces. Once the raccoons were safely relocated and the building sanitized, we were surprised to see how many of the original details remained, but were damaged, and that the building was in good structural condition. Another major challenge was the weather. When the project began, most of the exterior front porch including columns and railings were intact, but severe winter storms and superstorm Sandy both with high winds and rain, caused damage and deterioration to most of the details and columns of the two story wood porch, which is now mostly reconstructed.
The Center for the Women of New York celebrated its grand opening in Building 207 last December. How is their new space better serving that organization’s mission?
A view of the exhibition room, looking through pocket doors to the board room beyond. Many original decorative elements were restored like the pocket doors pictured here. Credit: L-Ines Studio
While the Center opened in December 2019, it was only opened for 4 months before the Covid-19 pandemic set in and the building could not be occupied. The good news is that the Center for the Women of New York now has a permanent home and will eventually return to full operation.
What role do you see historic preservation, and adaptive reuse of historic buildings like this one, playing in building more sustainable communities?
Given the extraordinary military base with very handsome architecture, historic preservation and the repurposing of the structures within a ready-made Historic District, will play a great role and makes perfect sense. The infrastructure, layout, and a small but growing community already existed and can be adaptable to new uses and current needs. Building 207 was not the first building to be repurposed, but it has sparked new interest and become an anchor now of other prospective buildings within the former military base.
This restoration included the first floor and basement. Are there plans to complete renovations on the rest of the upper floors as well?
A photo showing the northwest corner of the building after restoration. This angle shows off the two-story porch and new fire escape installed on the building’s side wall. This project represents the first phase of Building 207’s restoration, which focused on the building’s exterior, basement, first floor, and ADA-accessibility to the first floor. Phases two and three will follow to make the rest of the building accessible and usable to CWNY’s programs. Credit: L-Ines Studio
Yes, the restoration process was divided into three phases due to budget considerations. The first phase was the exterior of the entire building including the basement and first floor. All new services and code compliant fire and life safety systems were installed building-wide. The second phase will complete ADA accessibility to the basement and second floors. The third phase will be the interior fit-out for the ever expanding future programs of the Center for the Women of New York.
This interview is part of our series celebrating the 2020 Excellence in Historic Preservation Award winners. You can find all the posts in this series by clicking here.