POSTINGS
Rebirth for Bradhurst
A Start for Sass Plaza
One sign that the long awaited rebirth of Bradhurst, one of Harlem's most impoverished sections, is finally under way is the completion of the first phase of Sass Plaza, a complex that will provide permanent housing for the homeless.
On Thursday a combination ribbon-cutting and ground-breaking ceremony will mark the completion of a gut rehabilitation of the building at 263-65 West 152d Street, with 26 two-bedroom units, and the construction of an eight-story apartment building on Frederick Douglass Boulevard between 152d and 153d Streets with 69 two- and three-bedroom units. The development will include a 5,000-square-foot community center on 153d Street. The complex has been named for Dr. John J. Sass, pastor of St.. Matthew's Baptist Church, in recognition of his 50 years of community service.
Funding for the $15 million project has come from the city's capital budget and the State Housing Finance Agency. The New York Urban Coalition Housing Group is the project's developer and Procida Construction Corporation of the Bronx is responsible for the construction. The complex will be owned and operated by Harlem Churches for Community Improvement. Geoffrey Freeman Associates of Manhattan and Morgan Architectural Design of Brooklyn served as architects.