A five-year public-private collaboration to revitalize one entire city block of Central Harlem has led a gradual urban renaissance. This prototype added much-needed retail services, parking and more than 30 new street trees to the block bounded by 145th & 146th Streets, Frederick Douglass Blvd. and Bradhurst Ave.

The 128-unit affordable residential cond-op community includes a private landscaped courtyard built above a new Pathmark grocery store. The design includes one, two- and three-bedroom units, plus town-homes designed to reference some of the more traditional scale of Central Harlem. The courtyard was oriented to the south to maximize sunlight for a variety of landscaping. It also serves as direct access to the townhouse units and to a series of private terraces, intended to foster a sense of community.

The market is the first store for Pathmark, built below multiple stories of residential units. Grocery stores have complex building design standards that include mechanical and loading requirements. The overall structural system was modified to utilize lightweight prefabricated panels, resulting in significant cost savings and additional space by eliminating the need for the large structural members typical for a project of this size, often constructed of brick and block.