As a doctoral student in Connecticut, Mino Lora wrote her thesis about the creation and manufacture of a free, accessible theater in Upper Manhattan for and over immigrants. Almost two decades later, the People's Theater, which she presented and co -founded in 2009, will open its first constant home in an unexpected place: a new residential building in Inwood.
The Miramar in West 206th Street between the ninth and the 10th paths is a mixed mixed use building with a mixed income near the Harlem River in a largely immigrant district. The building, which is about to be completed and recently started leasing, is part of the 25 billion dollar plan by governor Kathy Hochul, 100,000 affordable houses in the state of New York. The multidisciplinary representative art center is to be opened there in July 2026.
The Miramar has its name from the salt water swimming complex outdoors, which was occupied by the site from 1926 to the closing of 1969 and was replaced by a supermarket. The developers hope that its design, its partnership with cultural organizations and its model with mixed activity will be a good neighbor.
In 2018, an recovery plan was approved in Inwood, which would largely redesign the industrial area east of the 10th Avenue as part of the city's efforts to make affordable residential units. Some residents rejected the plan and located that it would change the character and identity of the predominantly Dominican community.
“Neighborhoods with such a strong community and history are very suspicious of what comes and how the dynamics of the neighborhood would change,” said Colleen Wenke, the President and Chief Operating Officer at Taconic Partners, who developed the Miramar with a development team led by women in cooperation with LMXD and MSquand.
The Miramar comprises two connected buildings, and the entire complex extends almost a block. The facade uses three different colors of bricks to make the terrain less overwhelming, said Cassie Walker, partner at Beyer Blinder Belle, who supervised the architecture.
The highest part of the complex reaches 17 floors and cascaded in other parts down to enable more sunlight. In addition to scenic terraces, the Miramar will have two courtyard gardens and a roofing with grill stations and a view of the Harlem River, a Zughof and even the billionaire series south of Central Park.
The amenities that are available to all residents include a lounge that is accessible to all points in the building, as well as a billiard space, a fitness center and a karaoke lounge. At the base there are retail space for six to nine shops, depending on how they are divided.
Ms. Lora described the building of the building, which cost the construction of 35 million US dollars and is almost 20,000 feet, as a “bourgeois, cultural, multi -fational center”.
The “flexible theater room” will have five to six different configurations that sit between 99 and 208 guests, said Ms. Lora, which means that she can adapt to live music, dance, film and theater performances. The cultural center, which is referred to as People's Theater: Centro Cultural Inmigine, will also house an art gallery and a sample room for musicians.
The city invested 15 million US dollars to help People's Theater acquire the cultural center. The non-profit organization also received government funds and private donations, including $ 1 million from the family of Lin-Manuel Miranda, the songwriter, actor, director and producer.
“The idea that Mino Lora in Uptown Manhattan could have an uptown theater where she did incredible work with her team was really exciting for us,” said Miranda, who grew up in Inwood.
He added: “Artists who grew up in the city center like me and who stayed in the city center and continue to invent art here is incredibly gratifying.”
In a neighborhood like inwood with deep cultural ties, the approach to a new development like the Miramar is to “include new people, but also to respect what is there,” said Alicia Glen, the founder and managing director of MSAquared, who worked as a deputy mayor of New York City from 2014 to 2019.
“It wasn't the minimum amount of affordable living space,” she said. “It should do more than we had to do.”
Among the 698 units that range from studios up to three bedrooms, 281 are available for those who achieve 40, 60 or 80 percent of the middle income in the area. (The lottery closes June 2). Another 10 percent are housing units for workers or an average income with 120 percent of the average income in the area. The remaining 50 percent are the market price, with studios and one-sleep rooms from $ 3,100, two bedrooms at 3,900 USD and three bedrooms at $ 5,700. Corcoran takes care of the leasing. The first residents should arrive in June.
“It will be good for so many,” said Ms. Lora. “And especially in the middle of the neighborhood, our black and brown bodies and our young people, who occur and speak in different languages, changes essential for the preservation of the colors of our community.”
Sheelagh McNeill has contributed research.