Building of the Day: 1149-1171 Bushwick Avenue

Brooklyn, one building at a time.

Name: Salvation Army Community Center
Address: 1149-1171 Bushwick Avenue
Cross Streets: Putnam Avenue and Cornelia Street
Neighborhood: Bushwick
Year Built: First building – 1971-72. Library and Computer Center – 2007-2008.
Architectural Style: Initial building – Brutalist, Library – Moderne inspired
Architect: First building, unknown. Library and Computer Center – Rodney Leon
Other Buildings by Architect: African Burial Ground site, Lower Manhattan
Landmarked: No

The story: The Salvation Army was founded in 1865 in London by Catherine and William Booth, who preached in the squalid East End of London. By 1879, they had grown and expanded to the United States, where the first chapter was founded in Philadelphia. A year later, they were in New York City. The Army has always operated under the motto “soup, soap, and salvation.” Besides their well-known disaster relief efforts and their thrift shops, the Army operates thousands of centers where the homeless and indigent can come for relief, and get back on their feet. They also operate community centers where kids can come to a safe environment and get a meal, play and learn in afterschool, summer and weekend programs.

The needs of the poor in Bushwick have been great in the latter part of the 20th century. In 1970, the Salvation Army purchased the blockfront of Bushwick Avenue between Putnam and Cornelia, and tore down all of the houses that were on the block. They began building the next year, and constructed a community center on one side of the block that contained a gymnasium, pool, recreation and meeting rooms, a cafeteria, library, and chapel.

Brutalist style architecture was quite popular then, and that’s what the Army got, a large rectangular concrete bunker that was long on function, but certainly not much to look at. It looked as if the Army truly got a barracks. The center was a welcome addition to the neighborhood, no matter what it looked like, and over the years, hosted many programs for local kids. Comedian Chris Rock was one of those kids. He attended summer camps and other summer programs here when he was a child.

By 2005, however, the Center needed to expand and upgrade. They turned to a Brooklyn architect named Rodney Leon for the design of a new library and computer center. Leon was the co-founder of AARRIS Architects, LLP, a firm that specialized in commercial, residential and institutional projects that nurtured community and non-profit relationships. Rodney Leon, who’s background is Haitian-American, was Brooklyn born and raised, and educated at Pratt Institute and got his masters in architecture from Yale University. Before the Salvation Army Library, his previous project had been the overall design of the African Burial Ground in Lower Manhattan.

Leon designed a much different building for the Library and Computer Center than was next door. It’s got rounded edges, tall windows and flows from its “prow” around the corner to join the older building. The concrete materials used are similar, so the joining of the two works, even though they are very different buildings.

In 2008, the new library got an unexpected boost from a major corporation and a neighborhood celebrity. Target Stores donated a million dollars to the Salvation Army for use in the Army’s educational centers, libraries and computer centers across the country. Here in Bushwick, that translated to $25,000 for use in books, furnishings, shelving and carpeting for the new center. They also received free computers from Dell through the (Product) Red organization, a corporate charitable program dedicated to stamping out AIDS and helping the disadvantaged all over the world.

Chris Rock also lent his star power to the project. He and his wife Malaak donated their money and time to support the summer camp programs that had made such a difference in Chris Rock’s childhood. They were also on hand to open up the new Library and Computer Center, which got plenty of attention and press because of their participation. Today, the Salvation Army’s Bushwick Community Center still serves the community with “soup, soap, and salvation” in their new facilities. GMAP

(Photo:Christopher Bride for Property Shark)