/ DESIGN DEVELOPMENT /
accessibility, as it is the main entrance to the public spaces of the building. Some areas of the courtyard will be converted to small lawns for lounging on hot summer days and simply to provide a green space for the street as there currently is none. A pavilion will be added as an extension to the building, it will serve as a lobby area for the public spaces such as the auditorium in the cellar, the restaurant on the first floor and cellar, and the art gallery on the second floor. A restaurant, also located on the south entrance, providing Latin-fusion cuisine will be accessible to all whom chose to visit. The Art Gallery exhibiting local artists work as well as traveling exhibitions will also be open to the public, an inspiration to all who enter. The auditorium will house concerts of traveling and local artists who chose to book the space for the time necessary, bringing revenue into the building as well as the community as concerts and similar events increase revenue to the local shops of the community. The art supply store also available to the general public on the southern courtyard entrance, will be the first fully equipped Art Supply Store in the uptown area of Manhattan and closest one to the Bronx. This store will facilitate the needs of Harlem Arts Center artists as well as all uptown NYC artists. The program was based on enhancing the opportunity to relive a time filled with creativity and talent. It took into consideration the needs of artists and those in the Harlem community as well as surrounding boroughs. It brings another solution to better the current conditions of the community by engaging its current residents rather than enforcing high rent prices and gentrif ying the neighborhood. It will bring back hope and life to the neighborhood, a sense of pride and self worth.
45