Thomas MacMillan Photo
In the cavernous parade hall, they imagined soccer games and performances. On the roof, vegetable gardens and basketball courts. Elsewhere, condominiums and a culinary school.
These renovation ideas emerged during a tour of the empty Goffe Street armory on Tuesday.
The tour group included aldermen, a ward Democratic committee chairman, city engineer Bill MacMullen (at center in photo, in the parade hall), and Yale anthropologist Myra Jones-Taylor (at right in photo). The tour was organized by mayoral Deputy Chief of Staff Che Dawson, who has been spearheading an effort to find a use for the armory.
The armory was abandoned by two National Guard Units in 2008 and 2009. The building, which was built between 1928 and 1930, is now owned by the state, but ownership will soon be transferred to the city.
Tuesday’s exploration of the building followed another tour last month, which left two alderwomen with visions for a huge new community center, complete with roller skating rinks and bowling alleys. Tour participants came away Tuesday with more ideas about community use of the building: science education programs, a daycare center, condominiums, elderly services, sports facilities, a culinary school, even a drive-in theater.
Several of those ideas came from tourers Jan Parker and Jacqueline Bracey, members of Concerned Citizens for the Greater New Haven Dixwell Community House. Their organization is working to reopen the Dixwell “Q” House, the legendary neighborhood community center on Dixwell Avenue. Bracey, the group’s chairwoman, said renovating the armory is a parallel effort with the push to reopen the Q House.
“Everything fits in with the vision of the Q House,” she said.
Shortly past 9 a.m., the armory tour departed from the building’s main entrance. Led by Paul Doolittle (pictured unlocking a door), a general trades worker with the state military department, the group proceeded down darkened hallways.
The explorers stopped in the mess hall and looked at one of the building’s several kitchens. They paused to examine an old bathroom, and marveled at the banks of sinks facing each other in the middle of the room. “This is fantastic,” said Parker.
They stopped in the boiler room, where MacMullen pointed out a massive and ancient coal-fired furnace. With an eye to future renovations, MacMullen recommended simply walling off the boiler rather than go through the dismantling and abatement that would be necessary to get rid of the old furnace.
MacMullen estimated the armory would need $12 to $15 million for full renovation. The building is very sound structurally, MacMullen said. It has a tight roof and sturdy walls. The building would need a new elevator, he said. But it would need only a little abatement for lead paint and asbestos. The National Guard did a lot of abatement while it occupied the building, MacMullen said.
Evidence of the building’s military past lies throughout the building.
The tour passed the arms room. A heavy red metal door opened to blackness. “I’m not going in there,” said Dixwell Alderman Greg Morehead (at left in photo). He said he’d seen to many horror movies.
Nearby was a practice room for bands, lined in acoustic tiles. Downtown Alderwoman Bitsie Clark has proposed having recording studios in the building.
The first showstopper on the tour was the armory’s massive parade floor. The group marveled at the cavernous room, which has balcony seating at one end.
Alderwoman Katrina Jones later suggested the parade floor could be an indoor drive-in theater.
MacMullen said the shape of the room was meant to circulate heat and air efficiently. It was designed years ago, when what’s now called “green” architecture was simply practical design, MacMullen said.
“This is really amazing,” said Jones-Taylor.
MacMullen pointed out the potential for further green initiatives in the parade hall. The room’s roof curves to the east and west, so it gets sun all day long. MacMullen suggested putting photovoltaic cells on the roof to power heating and air conditioning systems.
“We need to pitch this to someone interested in making New Haven green,” Jones-Taylor said.
MacMullen said the building could be a “test bed” for green renovation initiatives.
The tour continued through offices and hallways and into the former ceremony room of the Governor’s Foot Guard, where MacMullen (at left in photo) chatted with Parker (at right).
Parker and Bracey began to discuss the potential for condominiums and senior services at the armory. “We have the largest elderly population in the state,” Bracey said.
“This is right in the heart of the city,” Parker said. “We’re building a field of dreams.”
The tour looked in on two different bars left behind in the building. “They liked their libation,” Alderwoman Jones said.
On the top floor of the armory, the tour group inspected a caretaker’s apartment.
“This is for the manager of the condominiums,” Bracey (at right in photo) said.
“You’ve got to think massive,” Parker (at left in photo) said.
Then came the second showstopper of the tour: the roof.
“It’s great!” exclaimed Parker as she stepped onto the rock-covered roof. “Oh my goodness!”
Members of the tour exclaimed over the views from the roof and the huge open spaces available. Jones-Taylor suggested planting grass on the roof and putting in gardens. “You could do such cool stuff with kids,” she said. She sketched out a vision of an indoor/outdoor experiential learning science classroom for kids.
MacMullen pointed out a spot for a rooftop greenhouse. “Oh my gosh, yes,” Jones-Taylor responded.
Walking to the other side of the roof, Jones-Taylor said a full soccer field could be put in. Parker suggested a basketball court.
On the way back to the ground floor, Bracey mused about creating a culinary school where young people could be trained to work in the restaurant industry. Jones-Taylor suggested they could use food grown on the roof. They could even have chicken coops on the roof, she said.
Dawson (at center in photo) paused on the staircase landing to thank Doolittle for the tour. The armory exploration is part of a process intended to generate discussion about what to do with the armory to “address challenges” in the neighborhood.
Outside on the sidewalk, Parker and Bracey rattled off other ideas for the reuse of the armory: banquet hall, theater, cultural center, museum, bowling alley.
“Anything’s possible if we want it bad enough,” Bracey said. She said a “vision needs to be developed.”
Bracey and Parker said an armory renovation project need not take away from efforts to bring back the Q House.
Asked about the money needed to renovate the building, Parker said “There’s going to be money coming from the federal government.” She mentioned President Obama’s Promise Neighborhoods program, modeled after the Harlem Children’s Zone.
The next step?
“Dream,” said Bracey.
“Plan,” said Parker.