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George Washington Bridge Bus Station Plans Revealed
By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 16, 2008
Modified Oct 16, 2008
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By
John Del Signore
Published Oct 16, 2008
Modified Oct 16, 2008
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The Port Authority unveiled renderings yesterday for an ambitious $152 million renovation of the George Washington Bridge bus station in Washington Heights. Built by Italian architect Pier Luigi Nervi, the sprawling three-level station opened in 1963, winning an award that year for its use of concrete in construction. It occupies both sides of Broadway between 178th and 179th Streets, near the entrance to the George Washington Bridge.
An estimated five million people on 300,000 buses passed through the station last year, and there's considerable wear and tear; the Times notes missing ceiling tiles, a lack of building-wide air-conditioning, and "a seedy aura that has never quite lifted" since homeless people congregated there in the '80s. Which makes the place sound like every other bus station in America!
But it's also home to about a dozen tenants, including an optometrist, dentist, barber, Off-Track Betting parlor, a credit union and newsstands. And the owners of these establishments are going to have to move out, because, as the Port Authority's Michael B. Francois puts it: "We’re looking to transform that into more of a Class A retail space, with national anchor tenants that can better serve the needs of the community."
One unidentified business owner tells the Times, "They just want to get rid of us, all the small guys. They never did the right thing for the building. They’ve really taken care of this building as a stepchild." And 78-year-old Altagracia Guzman, a credit union member, says she's angry about it, too: "This is like a family place. It’s not fair. I repeat it in front of the president of the United States: It’s not fair." It's not clear why Guzman thought George Bush was within earshot, but in any case the renovation, to be financed with $102 million from realty group Acadia and about $49.5 million from the Port Authority, is expected to begin within two years and result in a fourfold increase in the amount of retail space.
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bus station
George Washington Bridge
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renderings
renovation
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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