Red Hook Vendors' New Marketplace

Date started: September 2008
Date completed:
Phase I - Spring 2009
Phase II - Fall 2009
Phase III - Fall 2010
Next steps - TBD

Background
The Red Hook Food Vendors have been selling authentic Latin American cuisine in Red Hook Park every summer since 1978. In 2008 they were awarded a six-year permit to continue this tradition, but due to health code restrictions they were now required to serve from concession trailers parked along Bay Street at the northern edge of the park. While concession trailers provided a solution that allowed business to continue, renting trailers was cost-prohibitive for many vendors and the trailers themselves detracted from the charm and appeal of the former open-air market environment.

Objectives
In autumn 2008, the Red Hook Food Vendors Committee (RHFV) commissioned Architecture for Humanity New York to help solicit designs that would help create an open-air marketplace feel in Red Hook Park. The vendors worked with Architecture for Humanity New York to develop designs for a new marketplace that would create a positive atmosphere for vendors and park-users, while reflecting Red Hook’s larger identity and history.

Solutions
The project was organized into three phases:

Phase I
In autumn 2008, Architecture for Humanity New York held an Open Call for Ideas, asking designers to submit concepts. The Food Vendors and design professionals reviewed the entries and selected five as finalists and four as honorable mention.

Phase II
Designers of the five selected entries were asked to continue developing their concepts in collaboration with Architecture for Humanity New York and the Red Hook Food Vendors. In Fall 2009, the developed design concepts were displayed at the Look North gallery in Red Hook.

Phase III
Design teams were asked to develop presentation materials including scale models for public display at an event organized by the Queens Museum of Art in Fall 2010. A public input system was installed beside each exhibited design, and a roundtable discussion was held with the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR), and other relevant stakeholders and experts to evaluate important considerations in each design. A subsequent review focused on community input, capital development requirements, city regulations, costs, and other questions that would inform the development of a successful design proposal.

Results
The Red Hook Food Vendors ultimately selected “Food Fence”, by architects Mateo Pinto and Carolina Cisneros, as the final design. The design will be displayed to the public at the Red Hook Community Initiatives Gallery during the summer of 2011 in conjunction with a series of public input forums.

Next Steps
Architecture for Humanity New York and the Red Hook Food Vendors are pursuing capital funding for design and construction of the new marketplace by working with New York City Council Member for District 38, Sara Gonzalez, and Congresswoman and Chair of the Small Business Committee, Nydia Velasquez, in addition to other local stakeholders.

Funding & Support
This project has been made possible with support from New York City Council Member for District 38, Sara Gonzalez, and Congresswoman and Chair of the Small Business Committee, Nydia Velasquez.

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