Ruben Diaz apartment building rises out of South Bronx

Real Estate Weekly, July 11, 2001

After almost three years of careful planning and design by Larsen Shein Ginsberg Magnusson LLP Architects (LSOM), the walls are rising at the Reverend Ruben Diaz Plaza, an affordable housing development in the South Bronx. This six-story, 60,000 SF, 53-unit, mixed-use building is located on the southeast corner of Rev. James Polite Ave. and E. 163rd St. and Westchester Avenue, in the Morrisania section of the Bronx. The facility includes approximately 6,500 SF of space earmarked for commercial purposes on the ground floor. There has already been a surge of interest in the highly desirable retail space. Construction is expected to be complete in September of this year.

The project, which is being funded by the New York State Housing Trust Fund Corporation (NYS HTF), New York State Low Income Housing Credits, and the Dime Savings Bank, costs more than $9 million and is sponsored by the Christian Community Benevolent Association, a non-profit association under the direction of Reverend Dr. Ruben Diaz.

The design of the building features details that recall traditional Art Deco Bronx apartment buildings. Concrete block bearing walls and a concrete plank floor system are used with exterior masonry walls and thermally broken, double-glazed windows. The building is constructed of brick, with a cast stone base and cast stone coping. The corner of the building is slightly recessed with an articulated cornice that rises above the coping line. At the sixth floor, the building sets back to reduce the floor area, providing a strong design element that further accentuates the corner. The facade along E. 163rd St. is articulated to create a scale difference between the commercial base and residential upper stones.

In addition to the commercial/retail space, the ground floor will contain a residential lobby, a community room, and a laundry room where parking and recreational open spaces will be visible.