Kingsbridge
National Ice Center Will Feature Nine Year-Round Indoor Ice Rinks,
Including a 5,000-Seat Feature Rink for Major Ice Hockey and Skating
Events
KNIC
Partners LLC Will Invest $275 Million to Redevelop the Vacant Building,
Creating More Than 260 Permanent Jobs and 890 Construction Jobs
Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today
announced plans to transform the iconic Kingsbridge Armory in the Bronx –
vacant since 1996 – into the world’s largest indoor ice facility. The
landmark armory, which occupies a full City block
at 29 West Kingsbridge Road, will be redeveloped into a
750,000-square-foot ice sports facility to be known as Kingsbridge
National Ice Center (KNIC). KNIC will feature nine year-round indoor
regulation size ice rinks, including a feature rink that can seat
approximately 5,000 people and be used to host national and
international ice hockey tournaments, figure and speed skating
competitions and ice shows. The project will also include 50,000 square
feet of space designated for community uses. It is expected that
KNIC will draw more than 2 million visitors a year, vastly increasing
the options of ice facilities in New York City, where there are
currently only seven year-round ice rinks, none of which are located in
the Bronx. The project represents a private investment
of $275 million, which will generate 890 construction jobs and 267
permanent jobs. Mayor Bloomberg made the announcement at the Kingsbridge
Armory and was joined by KNIC Partners LLC Founder Kevin Parker, New
York Rangers hockey legend Mark Messier, Olympic
Figure Skating Gold Medalist Sarah Hughes, Bronx Borough President
Ruben Diaz Jr., City Council Member Cabrera and New York City Economic
Development Corporation President Seth W. Pinsky.
“Through this redevelopment the
Kingsbridge Armory will now have an interior program befitting its
iconic exterior architecture,” said Mayor Bloomberg. “The construction
of the world’s largest indoor ice rink facility will create
recreational opportunities for millions of visitors and local
residents, and most importantly create hundreds of jobs for the local
community. This plan is proof that working together we can put aside our
differences and do what’s best for the city" Bloomberg and Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr. said.
“This historic
announcement represents a great achievement for the Bronx and the entire
City,” said New York City Economic Development Corporation President
Seth W. Pinsky. “The Bloomberg Administration has long
been committed to revitalizing the Bronx, and this $275 million private
investment is another step forward, bringing a landmark building back
to life with the largest ice sports facility in the world, while
creating nearly 1,200 permanent and construction
jobs that will contribute the area’s long-term economic growth.”
“Today marks the
beginning of a new chapter for the historic Kingsbridge Armory,” said
Kevin Parker, founder of KNIC Partners. “I thank Mayor Bloomberg and the
New York City Economic Development Corporation
for this tremendous honor and for believing in our vision, and look
forward to working with the community throughout this process to ensure
the Armory’s future is as incredible as its past. This project is about
opportunity, first and foremost, and we are
confident the Kingsbridge National Ice Center will become a source of
pride for the Bronx and all of New York City for generations to come.”
“This is a fantastic project, one that will bring living
wage jobs and new recreation opportunities to the northwest Bronx while
completely transforming a long-vacant space into a new amenity that will
complement the surrounding
community,” said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. “This project
shows the tremendous opportunity the Bronx has to offer, and I am proud
to have helped move the redevelopment of the Kingsbridge Armory
forward.”
“Today we are one step
closer to transforming the Kingsbridge Armory into an important economic
engine for the surrounding Kingsbridge community and the Bronx as a
whole,” said State Senator Gustavo Rivera. “I am
incredibly pleased that we were able to reach an agreement with the
Kingsbridge National Ice Center that addresses the needs of the
community I serve.”
“I
commend Mayor Bloomberg for his leadership in reaching this decision,”
said New York Rangers legend and NHL Hall of Famer Mark Messier. “As a
hockey player, I believe the Kingsbridge
National Ice Center will change the sport in the metropolitan area. As a
New Yorker, I know it will also change this city, providing invaluable
educational and athletic opportunity to thousands of young people, and
transforming the Bronx into the new center
of ice sports in the United States.”
“Today
is a day for New York City to celebrate,” said Olympic Champion figure
skater Sarah Hughes. “The Kingsbridge National Ice Center – and the
educational and fitness initiatives
it will create – represents new possibilities for so many children,
including those who dream of one day becoming Olympic champions. This is
the start of something incredible for the Bronx and I am proud to be
part of it.”
Of the nine ice rinks,
five will be located on the main floor and four will be constructed on
two platforms elevated approximately 40 feet above the main floor. At
least two rinks at KNIC will be sled hockey-compatible
for people with disabilities. The facility is expected to be open 365
days a year. In addition to the ice rinks, the facility will feature: a
wellness center, with off-ice training fitness, rehabilitation and
sports therapy programs; dressing rooms and lockers
with storage for individual hockey equipment; concession space; retail
space for ice sport goods; and parking for approximately 480 cars.
Renderings are available at
www.flickr.com/nycmayorsoffice
KNIC also plans to create a
foundation to establish free after-school ice sports and academic
tutoring programs for disadvantaged youth. The program will be modeled
after the Ed Snider Youth Hockey Foundation in
Philadelphia with the goal of providing 12 hours of ice time each
weekday during the school year and 9 hours each weekday during summer.
The project will now begin
a comprehensive public and environmental review with an anticipated
groundbreaking in late 2014. The entire project will be built in two
phases, with the first phase, consisting of five
ice rinks, 50,000 square feet community space, concessions and parking,
expected to be complete by September 2018. The remainder of the project
will be built in the second phase which is expected to open by
September 2019.
KNIC Partners LLC was
selected through a competitive public process that began with the
issuance of an RFP by NYCEDC in January 2012, and will now enter into a
99-year lease for the property. The RFP sought a redevelopment
plan that would promote economic growth in Kingsbridge and surrounding
neighborhoods, provide quality jobs for local residents, and create an
exciting destination for people throughout the Bronx and the City.
Built between 1912 and
1917, the Kingsbridge Armory was designed by the architecture firm of
Pilcher and Tachau and is an outstanding example of military
architecture featuring Romanesque arches, vaulted ceilings,
decorative brick and terra cotta, and large battlement towers. Thought
to be the largest armory in the world, Kingsbridge Armory is an
approximately 575,000 square foot land marked building. The 180,000
square foot main drill floor measures 300 feet by 600
feet – more than a full New York City block – and is spanned freely by
pairs of vaulted steel trusses that rise 110 feet above the drill hall
floor. Beneath the drill floor, a 105,000 square foot basement level and
a 207,000 square foot sub-basement formerly
housed offices, a garage, rifle and pistol ranges, a dining room, a
gymnasium, and an auditorium. In addition, on the Armory’s south facade
is a 35,000 square foot head-house, the central feature of which is a
double-height entrance foyer with a vaulted ceiling.
The Armory has not been used for military purposes since 1993. The City
has invested about $30 million in capital funds for environmental
cleanup in the building, replacement of its roof and repairs to the
facade.
Left - Mayor Bloomberg at the mike announcing the plan to house the Kingsbridge National Ice Center at the Kingsbridge Armory. L - R are Mr. Kevin Parker of KNIC, Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr., CB 7 chair Paul Foster, Councilman Fernando Cabrera, Gold Medalist skater Sarah Hughes, NYCEDC President Seth Pinsky.
Right - Bronx BP Ruben Diaz Jr. at the mike.
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