adam watson ccny masters of architecture may 23, 2006

Case Study:

A Plan For incorporated Storefronts:Harlem Congregations for Community Imrpovement, A Model CDC Looking For a New Home.

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II. HCCI, a Mod-

III. HCCI’s

IV. Storefront

Acknowledgements

Table Of Contents

I. Abstract

el CDC

Move To Erbograph

Outreach

IV. Move on, but Maintain the Memories

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I. Abstract:

A Plan For Incorporated Storefronts

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HCCI’s latest. A Rehabilitation and combination of two adjacent buildings on 8th Ave. One of HCCI’s quintessential projects, it combines affordable housing with storefront space below.

based offices. This effort will offer a valuable programming tool to the organization as they begins designing their new, amalgamated headquarters.

The following project comes as a result of my Service Learning experience at Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement (HCCI) in the Spring of 2006. HCCI, A community development center, (CDC) is preparing to move their scattered expanse of offices along upper 8th avenue in Manhattan to a single headquartered space on 146th Street. Preliminary studies will provide my service learning host, HCCI with a mapping of their current 8th Avenue layout. I will also evaluate the spatial qualities of their current, storefront-

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II. Case Study Background:

HCCI, A model CDC

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I spent each Wednesday this semester in the offices of Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement (HCCI) as part of my Service Learning experience for “Community Development and Design” a course led by Ethan Cohen, director of the City College Architecture Center. Arranged through the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies, Service Learning is a “learning by doing” teaching method which combines community service with academic instruction.

My externship placed me under the guidance of Andy Brookes, Rose Architecture Fellow employed by HCCI and Lucille McEwen, President of HCCI. Founded in 1986, HCCI is a coalition, today, of 90 churches who originally joined forces to combat the pervasively blighted and vacant land in West Harlem. HCCI sought primarily to provide affordable housing to their community members. This service has expanded to include “empowerment opportunities to help Harlem residents sustain their

HCCI’s Homepage with mission statement

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HCCI, a Model CDC

Corbu Combine. Cartoon depicts the reckless transformation of city slums into urban renewal projects (Fulilove 63).

community” (www.hcci.org). Twenty years later, HCCI have been immensely successful and are widely cited as a model Community Development Center (CDC).

Working in the HCCI offices was the practical application of my academic study of CDC’s. CDC’s appeared in the advocacy landscape in and around 1960’s locally focused, community based, grassroots development movements counteracting the debilitating effects of government enforced urban renewal programs. Paul Davidoff’s seminal 1965 text, “Advocacy and Pluralism In Planning” suggests, “If the planning process is to encourage democratic urban government, then it must operate so as to include rather than exclude citizens from participating in the process. ‘Inclusion’ means not only permitting citizens to be heard. It also means allowing them to become well informed about the underlying reasons for planning proposals, and to respond to these in the technical language of professional planners” (7).

New York City was host to the original CDC, PICCED, formed at Pratt Institute in 1963. “PICCED planners literally translated federal urban renewal legislation into terms people could understand and illustrated to them the probable impacts on their home turf” (Curry 65-67). PICCED, still in service today prospered and spread. My own sponsor, CCAC, was made with PICCED’s assistance in 1977 (Curry 67).

The translation of the government appointed city planners’

complex and opaque terminologies and processes to the people whose communities are in the line of fire empowers the citizens through “asset-based community development.” In this vein the Asset-Based Community Development Institute (ABCD) produced their influential manual Building Communities From the inside Out. Written as armament for grassroots advocates, architects, planners, and informed citizens alike, it prescribes a method for the formation of community planning sessions. ABCD insists that community efforts be based on the local strengths of its residents. “This intense and self-conscious internal focus is not intended to minimize either the role external forces have played in helping to create the desperate conditions of lower income neighborhoods, nor the need to attract additional resources to these communities. Rather this strong internal focus is intended simply to stress the primacy of local definition, investment, creativity, hope and control” (Kretzmann and McKnight, ABCD 9). The return of many American urban centers has arrived on the shoulders of the CDC. When exemplifying the return of life of

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Asset planning alive. City College Urban Design students work with PNOLA, a fledgling CDC formed in post-Katrina New Orleans.

desperate urban centers in their notable text, Comeback Cities, Grogan and Proscio cite first and foremost “the maturing of a huge, rapidly expanding grassroots revitalization movement in America. [Ordinary residents] have used these organizations to invest in their assets rather than nurse old wounds, and to build productive partnerships rather than wage ideological warfare” (3). What PICCED and Davidoff began in the 1960’s has flourished into the single most important piece of urban renewal of a community kind.

HCCI is significant in their inaugural timing in the mid-1980’s. With their compatriots they ushered in a new generation of CDC’s. They have shifted the local politics of community development. “Before 1980, many of the groups passing as CDCs in most major American cities were blatantly political organizations – nonprofits set up by mayors, city councilors, or aldermen for the purpose of receiving and dispensing public funds and patronage. There naturally was little private-sector support for such organizations, and they generated few results. But they controlled the action” (Grogan and Proscio 90). Enter HCCI. Twenty years later this CDC of a different sort

(private management of local assets) has built “1300 units of housing and 32 retail stores and brought about more than $300 million in investment in Harlem” (Grogan and Proscio 92).

Today in Harlem, HCCI addresses community issues of a new variety: providing their residents with the life-skills necessary to keep up with the rapidly escalating cost to live in West Harlem. Thanks, in large part to HCCI, Harlem’s building lots are no longer vacant. As the CDC transitions from building in a blighted market to providing affordable housing in a comeback city, community members need all of the help they can get. Little by little HCCI continues to mature into an agent of neighborhood stability, rather than a provider of new and renovated spaces. As more people (and their money!) move in, the indigenous population needs all the assistance they can get. So whether it’s a class in home ownership or a course in acquiring skills to provide a living (not minimum) wage, HCCI is there. HCCI has, thereby, sprung a system of storefront based armatures – each offering the most up to the moment empowerment opportunity to their residents. It could be forecasted that beyond new construction, HCCI will continue to find sustenance in their office based initiatives.

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III. Project Overview:

HCCI’s move to theErbograph.

Same Faces, different facade

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Stakeholder Visitors. HCCI’s Board of Directors.

Hosts. The HCCI staff.

Soon HCCI will consolidate themselves into a single headquarter in their latest work, Erbograph. Erbograph is a nine story project for elderly housing with its first and basement levels devoted to housing the HCCI staff. I worked with HCCI’s architect, Andy Brookes, on the beginnings of this move: program development and preliminary planning. At this stage of design questions abound. What are some of the changes that lie ahead for HCCI? How will a move from their current conspicuous 8th ave corridor to a mid block situation on 146th

street affect community foot traffic and awareness? Currently, HCCI utilizes a storefront based office organization. Its faults are felt everyday, but what about the current layout might want to make the move? While recognizing the eventual goal of an adequate workspace for each HCCI individual, the first stage is an exercise in space programming by division. Who, if not everyone, should be included in the headquarters? On which floor? What should their relationships in the office space be?

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Community Vistors. HCCI’s clients.

Resource Visitors. Pathmark, Bank of America and the like.

based organization (albeit ecumenical) the HCCI Board of Directors includes representatives from the scores of congregations included in the HCCI brethren. Clients visit in equally varied capacities. Some will arrive to collect the keys to their new home, others will show up for a class in fiscal training, more still will come for personally sensitive topics (HIV outreach or food assistance programs).

The resource network at HCCI is a diverse one. In speaking with HCCI

To begin with, who is the staff of HCCI, what groups and divisions do they form? What are their histories? Which divisions came first? Which divisions hold the most power? What is the resulting pecking order? All would agree that HCCI is, historical successful, how can traditions carry on in their new home? Where is HCCI now, and how can its good parts live on?

Who are the clients, stakeholders, and resources that will visit HCCI’s headquarters? As a faith

14HCCI’s Move to Erbograph |

staff I learned that the organization itself is funded through government aid and grants. For instance the Health and Wellness Service’s scattered site housing for those living with HIV/AIDS is heavily supported by federal Ryan White CARE monies. More money comes from HCCI’s income. As they remain property managers of their housing developments they see regular rent income in from their tenants.

As for their construction projects, they rely heavily on corporate sponsorship. Participating in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program the financial backer offers money to the CDC’s project in return for federal

tax breaks. The program has been widely successful even in recent laisser faire conservative administrations for it reduces the government’s risk in financing. “The beauty of the Tax Credit program is that it relies on investors’ self-interest to keep the projects affordable and well run. If the CDC or other developer mismanages one project it will be unlikely to find investors for a second one” (Grogan and Procio 249). The financier visitors have received special attention in the HCCI headquarter planning phase. When the suits arrive at the new Erbograph headquarters, how will HCCI woo corporate money into their organization? Today there are many Harlem CDCs to choose from.

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IV. Situation Assessment:

Storefront outreach

The Good, the bad, and the unmeasured.

“Once a CDC has proven its competence in housing, it soon becomes an experienced, legitimate vehicle for addressing other neighbor-hood and community needs….CDC’s integrate their development of affordable housing with any number of other public services and improve-ments beyond bricks and mortar.”

-Grogan and Proscio, Comeback Cities, p. 71

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Map of HCCI territory. A layout of HCCI’s numerous office spaces show the area of storefronts and their resulting interactions.

In a sense the HCCI Headquarters project is an office to house a series of offices each one behind the glass of an 8th Avenue storefront. The storefront, used traditionally by retailers for its transparent display of their wares, has offered similar promotion to HCCI. To inhabit the space of upper 8th Avenue is to know that HCCI is there. From the beginning of my service learning visits, however, I found it curious that an organization so firmly rooted in construction and property development

and management would have sprung so many roots in 8th Avenue storefront office roots. HCCI, in it for the long haul has expanded their service, and in turn their lifeline, beyond the construction of affordable housing. I found this to be the case for a couple of reasons:

First, HCCI is a property developer who sees affordable housing as merely the first step in sustainable neighborhood renewal. The key to their longevity is the careful management

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Strorefront Outreach |

HCCI storefronts.

of their built out housing. HCCI’s steady growth comes as a result of a carefully maintained tenant base. And the foundation of this tenant base rests upon a strong network of neighborhood, storefront based, outreach. HCCI gives their tenants training in the areas, of money management, employment, and health/wellness. One can imagine that at the first symptom of sickness in their community HCCI begins to develop a remedy. So, after twenty years, it has come to be that when one travels the upper stretch of 8th Avenue a constant

presence of HCCI storefront outreach tells them “they are in HCCI territory.”

Secondly, thanks in large part to HCCI, West Harlem’s building lots are no longer vacant. As the Community Develop Corporation transitions from building in a blighted market to providing affordable housing in a comeback city, community members need all of the help they can get. It would appear that little by little HCCI continues to mature into an agent of neighborhood stability. As more people (and their money!) move in,

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HCCI Offices. Two around the corner offices.

2855 (Right) requires entry through a rear gate (inset).

How do these offices, off the beaten path, compare to the main street storefronts of other HCCI offices?

More HCCI Storefronts.

the indigenous population needs all the assistance they can get. So whether it’s a class in home ownership or a course in acquiring skills to provide a living (not minimum) wage, the offices of HCCI are there. It could be forecasted that beyond new construction, HCCI will continue to find sustenance in their office based initiatives.

And yet the staff and directors want out from their glass houses. Before they move, however, I feel it’s worth evaluating their current relationship

with the storefront, the street, and the community. With the move to a mid-block site comes a limited storefront with a less conspicuous placement. How can HCCI evaluate the good as well as the bad of operating in a storefront? What are the good and the bad experiences involved with being a storefront based organization?

First, the bad. With HCCI offices located in as many as five different office spaces, there is terrible multiplication of office functions (copy

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Strorefront Outreach |

Street Crossing. It can be a long cold walk from one office to the other or a chance to mix with community...depending on how you look at it.

Desktop meets strorefront. Clutter ensues.

machines, computer services, reception services), and it can be a cold, wet walk to the boss’ office three blocks away. Also, with so many doors to choose from visitors frequently don’t select the right one. Next, where the desktop meets the storefront clutter occurs. Blinds are consistently drawn in many of the office spaces for privacy and day-lighting suffers horribly throughout.

The good? As previously mentioned, to walk the upper stretch of 8th Avenue it to know where HCCI

is. When the need arises, community members know where to go. If not the glass window, then the blue awning, is the perfect advertisement. Next, the nuisance of a walk across the street for the staff indirectly casts a net to a street full of questions. Community members learn the faces of HCCI, say hello, and, if need be, have someone to talk to. Finally, the multiple entrances that result from the scattering of office spaces allows for small scale entrancing to each component of HCCI. A discrete entrance is the perfect welcome to clients visiting

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with private measures on their mind.

Looking at both sides, it would appear that where the staff is hindered by the multiple storefront arrangement, the community benefits. With staff representatives at each design meeting it is a safe bet that in the new headquarters they will get what they want. But what can be done to make sure that HCCI’s foundation, the community, is considered in the new design? As the HCCI staff moves into cozy consolidation will the community be left out in the cold?

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V. Establishing Design Tools:

Move on, but Maintain theMemories

Asset based design:

How can graphically representing HCCI today help the staff understand the architectural pro-cess and be included in plans for ERB HQ?

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Erbograph is a nine story project for el-derly housing with its first and basement lev-els devoted to housing the HCCI staff.

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Move on but Maintain the Memories |

Illustration credit:Andy Brookes, HCCI

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Site Proximities. How will HCCI make the geographic move from it’s current cor-ridor command of 8th Ave to a mid-block situation on 146th Street?

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Staff Listing. A text based list of each staff member and their department.

What does each staff member require spa-tially?

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Staff Listing Dia-gram. What does each staff member require spatially?

Colored circles ap-proximate department sizes. Diagram could grow to show func-tional requirements within departments.

Circle overlaps could suggest shared spaces.

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Storefront Qualities. Where do the high-est stroefront values register?

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Storefront meets staff.

1. Calculate storefront values for each HCCI office

2. Storefront value determines Erbograph positioning

3. What new condi-tions are created?

4. Could it be a goal for each staff member to complete a drawing like this?

5. How can the staff learn to read the archi-tectural process and input their ideas?

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Works Cited:

Curry, Rex. “Community Design Centers” Good Deeds, Good Design. Bryan Bell. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2004. 60-70.

Davidoff, Paul. “Advocacy and Pluralism in Planning” Journal of the American Institute of Planners, vol. 31, no. 4 (1965).

Fullilove, Mindy. Root Shock. New York: One World, 2004.

Grogan, Paul S. and Tony Proscio. Comeback Cities. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 2000.

Kretzman, John P. and John L. McKnight. Building Communities From the Inside Out. Skokie, Illinois: ACTA Publications, 1993.

www.HCCI.org

Further Reading:

Hester, Randolph. “Community Design Today” Landscape Journal, vol. 8, no.2, (fall 1989).

Sanhoff, Henry. Community Participation Methods in Design and Planning. New York: Wiley, 2000.

With gratitude to Director Ethan Cohen, Community Development & Design, Spring 2006.

…and a special thanks to Mr. Brookes, Ms. McEwen, and HCCI for sharing their storefronts at HCCI with me each Wednesday morning!

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