What if we were to think about the armory typology in relation to its original architectural inspiration: the 19th century train station?
Both building types, 19th century stations and armories, are organized around entry buildings attached to large columnless halls, both employ similar spatial proportions and structural approaches, and both deal with high volumes of circulation.
The Kingsbridge Armory has a strong skeleton, abundance of space, and is situated within a dense urban fabric. However, the building’s impenetrable skin and past functions have left it detached and vacant, resulting in a building that is situated within a neighborhood in need of meaningful public space without the framework to meet that need.
Our proposal converts the east end of the armory into an urban plaza and the west into a public garden. Through this conversation, we formed spaces which both reside in the armory and spill out into the surrounding context. Connecting these public spaces are linear streets, running the length of the drill hall like train platforms. These terraced platforms capitalize on the “bigness” of the interior, simplify movement throughout, and stitch together the two ends of this behemoth structure forming a cohesive fabric that can be knit into the urban context.
