A New Era For Manhattan's Seventh Regiment Armory

NEW YORK CITY

:On a recent afternoon, Antiques and The Arts Weeklymet with Rebecca Robertson, the president and CEO of the Seventh Regiment Conservancy, the not-for-profit organization appointed by New York State to restore the Seventh Regiment Armory and convert the landmark facility, now home to Manhattan's top shows, into an arts center. We found the energetic, new director hard at work in her makeshift office on the Armory's second floor, where former regimental quarters may soon be available to small groups for meetings and dinners.

Described as "a splendid crumble" in a 1998 New York Timeseditorial urging intervention, the Armory - housing 16 historic reception rooms decorated by Associated Artists with Louis Comfort Tiffany and Stanford White, Herter Brothers and Pottier and Stymus, among others - needs immediate attention to halt further deterioration. Basic systems are antiquated and leaks have damaged ceilings and walls, many of which retain their original carved, painted and stenciled decoration.

Confusion about who actually owns the Armory, which was built with private funds on city land but for decades has been administered by the state, was resolved in 2004, when New York passed legislation clarifying its ownership and authorizing the Empire State Development Corporation to grant a long-term lease to the Seventh Regiment Conservancy. The last legal impediment was removed on March 8, when the temporary restraining order preventing the Conservancy from taking possession of the building was lifted.

Bright, determined and practiced in the art of diplomacy after nearly two decades of experience in arts-based urban revitalization, most notably as president of the 42nd Street Development Project, Inc, and, later, as director of Lincoln Center Development Project, Inc, Robertson, an urban planner by training and a preservationist by practice, had this to say.

Who is on the Seventh Regiment Conservancy's board?

Wade F.B. Thompson is our chairman and Eli Rose our vice chairman. They've been extremely generous and are determined to accomplish this project. Most of our board members are people interested in preservation, among them the president of the Friends of the Upper East Side Historic Districts; the president of CIVITAS Citizens, Inc; and architect Richard L. Blinder of Beyer Blinder Belle. Some of our trustees - among them, Arie L. Kopelman, chairman of the Winter Antiques Show - are also on the board of the Municipal Arts Society, the preservation organization that helped develop the Conservancy.

What is the Conservancy's mission?

The Conservancy's mission is to restore the Armory to the highest standards and to revitalize it as a world-class cultural institution. It's been a challenge getting hold of the building so that we can begin restoring it, find uses that can make it viable, and open it up to the public. A building like this has to be seen. I imagine the day when school kids will be coming through these beautiful rooms and learning about the period.

What is the Conservancy's timetable?

We probably have three years of investigation and planning before we can begin the restoration. I hope not longer than that, but there's a huge amount to do. This interim period will allow us to get to know promoters and learn about the shows. What do shows need? What could make them better? I'm eager to meet everyone - associations, dealers, organizers, charities.

What is the Conservancy's top priority?

We need to repair the damage to the ceilings. Some are now supported by scaffolding. We've also had falling brick and know that there are structural issues on the west wall. In the end of the day, we're also talking about the restoration of the rooms, the drill shed and the renovation of all the systems, which date to the late Nineteenth Century. That requires a lot of sensitivity. We have historic lighting fixtures but, obviously, getting the lighting levels right is another challenge. We need more egress. The drill shed needs to be insulated. We want to humidify it properly, deal with the sound issue, make it energy efficient and figure out storage.

Is the conservation plan in place?

The plans are theoretical until we start investigating. We have so much wood restoration to do, so many important lighting fixtures, so much paint work. It's a daunting task. It's hard to estimate before we get into the rooms to study them. It's easier to estimate how much it will cost to modernize the systems.

What is your working budget?

The estimate is now $150 million. The state has already committed $30 million. We will apply for historic tax credits, which is perhaps another $20 million. The rest will be raised through a mixture of public and private contributions. Our fundraising has not begun. We have $25 million of private funding in hand. We need a good endowment, $20 to 40 million, at least.

What will you not do to the building?

Despite rumors to the contrary, we're not going to increase the square footage. We're not building a tower. We're not excavating. We're not blasting.

What will be done to the historic reception rooms, notably the Veterans Room, commonly known as the Tiffany Room, and the adjacent Library?

These are the big, important rooms. The Tiffany Room was restored in the past, but poorly. This place will be drop-dead gorgeous when returned to its original appearance.

Will the historic rooms be interpreted to one date?

The Armory is a building that evolved. It represents not a single moment but a number of moments, which, for a preservationist, is always interesting.

How will you incorporate offices and other work spaces into the building?

Thank goodness we have some nonhistoric rooms, otherwise we couldn't service this building properly.

What interim projects will you undertake while you are still in the initial planning stage?

Air-conditioning the drill shed and addressing the conditions of the washroom are things we'd like to do immediately. Those will probably happen in the next few years.

Is it possible to keep the drill shed open for shows during renovations?

The drill shed needs an enormous amount of work, too. All the systems have to be put in. We need the proper amount of electric. We need proper egress. We will accommodate the normal activities in the drill shed as long as we can. They will be a very important consideration in planning the renovation.

What building prototypes are you looking at?

There are spaces like ours, but not in New York City. An obvious parallel is with Royal Albert Hall in London, which is in the round and the same size we are. There is also Mass MoCA and the Art Center in Cincinnati. It makes no sense for us to compete with existing venues in New York, but we have the ability to use this space in different ways.

What will the Armory's artistic programming consist of?

Our vision is to fill the Armory with things that really play to its strengths, things that are interesting and, most likely, slightly contemporary. The prime use of the Armory will not be for performing arts, though they will occupy some part of the schedule. The space will be used judiciously. Our dream is that, when people open the newspaper, they'll look for what's on at the Armory. Is it Sanford Smith's Modernism? Is it Richard Serra? It's a great experience and people want to go.

How committed are you to keeping the art and antiques shows?

We have an interest in keeping these shows here. We see them as a staple of what this place is, the perfect complement to other programming. Restoring the building is going to enhance these shows. The interiors will be properly lit, the walls beautifully painted and stenciled the way they were originally, the washrooms will be great, the food terrific, the coat room will work and a concierge desk will help visitors.

What percentage of the calendar year will be devoted to art and antiques shows?

The breakdown of uses that we now contemplate is roughly: arts and antique shows for 35 percent of the year; art exhibits for 30 percent; performing arts for 25 percent; closed for maintenance and repair, 10 percent. Talks are ongoing with various groups regarding the shows, the exhibits and the performing arts. In broad strokes, it works out that the June to September period in the Armory has never really been used. Summer is an interesting time for the performing arts in particular. The other season that the shows don't really use is mid-December through early January, another great time for either visual or performing arts. From mid-January through March is probably more difficult, but we'll work with promoters to figure it out.

Beyond what point will you no longer be able to honor existing arrangements with show promoters?

I can't tell you that because I don't know. Currently, there are show contracts for fall 2006.

How will the artistic program be administered?

The Armory is right for very specific kinds of things. We'll probably start out working with organizations that already do this kind of programming to find out what works for here. The programming is really about showing off this building. Ultimately, I think we'll have an artistic director but I assume that we will continue to partner with other arts groups.

Has the disposition of the Armory's collection of paintings, silver and regalia been resolved?

No, but we would like to curate the collection. We've offered to do that, regardless of who owns the collection. We want to have educational programs related to New York and the very interesting time that this building represents. We've talked to New York museums about mounting exhibitions here.

How is the Conservancy staffed?

We now have about six staff, soon to go up to about 14. There will be full and part-time positions in facilities and security, finance, fundraising and project development. That's where we start. We'll add positions as needed.

Have you determined rental fees for the drill shed?

No. We need to know what it will cost to operate the building.

At the interview's conclusion Robertson points to an 1881 photograph of Walter Damrosch conducting the New York Philharmonic before a crowd of 6,000 in the Armory's drill shed, a spectacle barely imaginable today.

"This is an old idea, not a new one," says the Conservancy president, who believes the time is right for a flexible arts space in heart of residential Manhattan. "If one believes that restoring this really magnificent building is a good thing, then we have to do it in the way that's best for most people."