The following is an extended version of the story that appears in our latest print edition.

Music industry professionals have joined forces to form the concept for the International Salsa Museum (ISM) in The Bronx and organizers recently held a press conference in Kingsbridge Heights, outside the massive Kingsbridge Armory which they hope will, someday, be the home of “El Condado de la Salsa.”

The ISM is a non-profit which was created to educate and increase the public’s awareness of salsa and to “preserve salsa music’s rich cultural history.” It was founded by musician, music director, and producer, Willy Rodriguez, music industry professional, Lily Reyes, and entrepreneur, Manny Tavarez.

On Tuesday, June 15, outside of the recently refurbished, but rarely utilized Kingsbridge Armory, located at West 195th Street and Reservoir Avenue, the corner also known as “Celia Cruz Way,” founders of the ISM were joined by fellow board members, Damaris Mercado, Eddie Torres Jr. and Bervin Harris for the press conference to talk about the future of the museum.

According to a press release sent in advance of the event, the museum is being developed to preserve and display the history of salsa music, from its inception in the Caribbean to its development in New York City, and to highlight salsa’s impact on society and culture that “will shape the next generation of Latino music and artists.”

The founders and board members were joined on the day by supporters of the museum, members of the Puerto Rican Institute at CUNY, Emmanuel Martinez, chair of Bronx Community Board 7 (CB7), District 14 City Councilman Fernando Cabrera who is a candidate for Bronx borough president, and Jean Hill, president of the residents’ organization at Jerome Park’s Tracy Towers complex, who is also a member of CB7. (Cabrera is currently in second place in the Bronx BP race after the results of Round 1 were counted following Primary Day, June 22, with 34 percent of the vote. He trails District 16 City Councilwoman Vanessa Gibson who has secured 39 percent of the vote, so far.)

According to Erika Sanchez of ISM, members had thought about other target sites for the museum but the Kingsbridge Armory is their desired location, with hopes of breaking ground in 2024, and an opening in 2025.

One of the largest armories in the world, Kingsbridge Armory was built around 1910. Now decommissioned, it has been mostly vacant since 1996, when it was turned over to City management. The building still houses one unit of the Army National Guard but has been underdeveloped and underutilized by the community for several years, and despite its historical significance, has also been a target for graffiti. A damaged roof was refurbished at one point and, mostly recently, the armory was used as a food distribution hub amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, as reported, plans negotiated with City and State in recent years to lease the building to private developers, Kingsbridge National Ice Center Management, to develop a new, national ice center, the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC), at the location are still on the table, despite prolonged negotiations.

Though those negotiations on the legal and financial arrangements between KNIC Management and the City and State have been hampered by the pandemic, Kevin Parker of KNIC Management, told the Norwood News on Tuesday, June 22, that the company was oversubscribed, at over $400 million, in terms of [private] capital commitments for the project, describing it as something of a miracle amid the economic downturn caused by the pandemic.

Parker said if the group could finalize their negotiations with the City and State, and obtain the necessary lease and permits, they could have “shovels in ground by Q4 2021, and a $350 million investment into The Bronx.” Asked in whose court the ball now is in terms of next steps, Parker said, “It’s the City and State that need to take the next steps to say, ‘We want this project to happen and so, here’s what we’re doing about it.’”

Asked if those next steps involved rezoning commitments, Parker said they did not, and referred to a State loan commitment of $138 million which has been written into the State budget, but which needs to be re-confirmed every two years if it’s not drawn down.

The armory building is located in City Council District 14, and during discussions held over the years on its proposed use, input had been sought from local Community Boards 7, 8 and 12. Some residents had objected to the use of the armory as an ice center, and there were proposals to have it used for schools or other community resource. The latest agreed development plan includes an allocation of 50,000 square feet of space for community use, under a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA).

According to State documents made available after a public hearing was held in January 2016, concerns were raised that the project did not represent the needs of the community, that a guarantee of union construction jobs was required, and there were also concerns over gentrification.

New York State Empire State Development (ESD) agency addressed the concerns in the documents, writing in response to the first point, “The project had the support of the local community board [singular], Bronx Borough President, local business groups and organizations. As a result of a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) that KNIC entered into with a coalition of 27 local organizations, the project will result in many benefits for the surrounding Northwest Bronx neighborhood.”

The extract continued, “The project will provide living wage jobs, targeted local hiring and contracting, dedicated community space for the community and local procurement and technical assistance for small local businesses. At least 51 percent of the permanent jobs created will be filled by the local community.”

It added that the project included the 50,000 square foot community center to which KNIC would contribute $8 million towards building costs, as well as $1 million annually towards in-kind services, including priority access and use of ice rinks by residents at a discounted rate; access and use of non-rink space, including classrooms; and free or discounted tickets for seniors, students and low income families.

Regarding the request for a guarantee to use union workers, the ESD wrote, “Union and non-union contractors will be able to bid on the various aspects of the project. The CBA has very strict local hiring requirements. As KNIC further develops its plans, they will determine which firms will perform the construction.”

Finally, regarding the concerns over gentrification, the ESD wrote, “The project will reactivate a building that has been vacant since 1996. The building consists of approximately 795,000 square feet and is currently an extremely underutilized building. The project will produce a number of positive economic benefits, as highlighted above.”

The community space is being managed by a community group (CAC) and KNIC Management, though a member of the 11-member CAC board, has no input into how CAC chooses to use the designated community space. Parker confirmed that he had not been approached to date to discuss the salsa museum but, again, stressed that the lease with KNIC Management and the City of New York has not yet been signed. In any case, he reiterated that the community was free to develop the space however it chooses.

Norwood News reached out to the State, Bronx Community Board 7 and Cabrera’s office to obtain more information on the latest iteration of the Community Benefits Agreement, as well as the terms of the State loan, and will update this story, upon receipt of further information.

In April 2021, Haile Rivera, candidate for City Council in District 14, said it had been nearly 10 years since Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced plans for the ice skating facility. “It is now 2021, and still the Kingsbridge National Ice Center (KNIC) has not delivered anything,” Rivera said. “Year after year, Gov. Cuomo continues to include within the State’s budget $108 million in capital funding for a project that has never gained any community support.”

Rivera said the Northwest Bronx was home to one of the largest Latino communities in the United States and the community rarely ice skates. “If the governor, the City of New York and local officials really want to help residents of the Bronx, why not support the development of a multi-sport facility that includes baseball, softball, basketball and soccer?” he asked. “Mayor de Blasio, these sports [..] will have a greater impact in our community.”

Rivera said the KNIC group has proven that it was out of its league in terms of its inability to raise the adequate amount of funds to develop the project. “They have had a lengthy period of time to garner community support and develop the armory.  However, the KNIC group continues to fall short on their efforts,” he said. “It is time to move on to a new innovative approach that will help the black and brown communities of our City.”

Rivera called for the armory development to include sufficient community use space for local non-profits, 100 percent of the contractors to be qualified, minority-and-women owned businesses, as well as retail space, cultural/arts space and a state of the art charter school. He said he respectfully requested Mayor Bill de Blasio to end the KNIC contract.

Back at the official launch of the ISM, members announced that fundraising efforts were already underway for the acquisition and development of “a state-of-the-art museum” which would have core exhibits, as well as space for music programming, developed for New York City schoolchildren and other institutions, with a focus on salsa music and dance, as well as film and arts programs.

Co-founder, Tavarez, told those who had gathered, “This is a historic moment for salsa, and an exciting time for New York City as we work on reopening after the 2020 pandemic and continue to tell important stories that have shaped New York culture and given life to various neighborhoods.” He added, “The ISM is committed to establish our presence in The Bronx, as this borough played such an integral part in developing salsa and Latin jazz into what it is today.”

ISM is supported by its advisory committee that includes Tito Puente Jr., son of legendary “King of Latin Jazz,” Tito Puente; the late musician’s estate; Demaris Mercado, the daughter of late Latin empresario, Malph Mercado; Joe Madera, legendary musical director and producer; Eddie Torres Jr., son of Eddie Torres, a founding member of New York-style dance; Steven Oquendo, a Latin jazz “big band” leader, composer and trumpeter; Crystal Fields-Sam, a leader at Bridge Philanthropic Consulting; and Carlos Henriquez, lead bass player for Wynton Marsalis / Jazz at Lincoln Center.

During the event, Mercado, who is founder and executive producer of the Mercado Project, told attendees, “It’s an absolute wonderful privilege to serve as a board member for ISM, helping to navigate the groundwork being laid to preserve legacies, explore history and create new educational opportunities for the surrounding and global communities.”

Tavarez added, “With New York City’s budget for arts cut by 11 percent in fiscal year 2021, and the City’s education department cut by nearly 30 percent of art education programs, it’s our job, as an arts and community center, to supplement education and develop creative spaces for our children.”

Meanwhile, Torres, Jr., the choreographer of “In the Heights: The Movie,” said, “We need this museum to represent generations of authentic culture. We need a home, an institution where we can empower and prepare our Latino people. We need to unite and raise awareness of our rich Afro-Latino history, which can be accomplished through music and dance.”

For more information on the ISM, residents can visit its website at: www.internationalsalsamuseum.org.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.