New York City architectural firm Wank Adams Slavin Associates LLP heads up the design effort. The existing Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, a Neo-Renaissance landmark built in 1898 and located down the street, is also being renovated using a master plan devised by WASA. The project is expected to be complete in the summer of 2006.

The city's Department of Design and Construction and Department of Cultural Affairs commissioned the project on behalf of three local cultural groups, Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, Cultural Collaborative Jamaica and the Black Spectrum Theater. The adaptive reuse will transform the church into a flexible theater space, with about 325 seats on the main level and 75 seats in the balcony.

The main level is designed as a totally flexible theater able to house a variety of seating and stage configurations, as well as being able to accommodate banquet facilities. The third floor will feature a state-of-the-art conference center for community use. WASA also has included an outdoor performance space on the grounds of the church facing Jamaica Avenue.

"Our design will create a community-friendly center that will be a rich and lively cultural resource for adults, youth and families throughout Queens and all of New York City," says Len Franco, a partner at WASA. "The whole area has been rejuvenated. There's a multiplex and the new Family Court."

WASA's design, which Franco says will rival the Broadway theaters, will restore the building facade and windows, including three stained-glass windows facing Jamaica Avenue, while salvaging other deteriorated stained glass panels so that all windows in the main lobby will be historic stained glass. The plan for JCAL includes the restoration of the building's facade as well as a restructuring of interior spaces and renovation of the interior infrastructure.

WASA's predecessor firm Reed & Stem won the competition to design Grand Central Terminal. Current projects include the exterior restoration of the Breakers in Newport, RI and the restoration of Fallingwater, Frank Lloyd Wright's international architectural landmark.

The area is undergoing a revitalization as part of a borough-wide effort. Earlier in the year, a joint venture of Pistilli Realty Group and D&F Consultants aquired a two-acre site at Queens Hospital Center in Jamaica. The JV plans a $50-million mixed-use development featuring 200 units of middle-income and market-rate rental housing; 26,300 sf of medical office space, 11,000 sf of retail space and a 450-car parking garage.

Instant Insights /

Performing Arts Center Adds to Queens Revitalization

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