A fire broke out in the historic Kingsbridge Armory on West Kingsbridge Road and Jerome Avenue in Kingsbridge Heights on Saturday April 20, but appears to have already been brought under control.

 

When contacted on Saturday afternoon, an FDNY official at the press office said he didn’t have anything on a fire at that location at that time but said he would look into it. “It could have been a smaller incident but nothing has popped up and I’m not in front of my computer to research all of the incident,” he said.

 

We shared that there were sightings of smoke, police and fire trucks at the location, and he said he would get back to us. We will share further updates as we receive them. Norwood News heard an unofficial report over Bronx fire radio sometime around 2 or 2:15 p.m. that the fire may have been an electrical one that may have started inside locker room #55, and spread to some trash but we cannot corroborate this.

 

The FDNY later responded, saying, “No incident found with the info provided.” We shared photo evidence of the fire engine response to the incident to the FDNY press office. We did not receive a response.

Witnesses said there was substantial smoke in the air during the incident but the response was quick. As reported, two annexes on the grounds of the armory are used by the National Guard but the smoke was seen in the main building. The NYPD had blocked off the southwest corner of the building at Jerome and W 195th Street. Two FDNY tower ladders and and three engines were seen on site, and a Con Edison vehicle later appeared at around 2.25 p.m. as the fire trucks were startiing to leave.

 

Norwood News contacted Con Edison regarding the incident and a representative told us on Monday, April 22, “On the afternoon of Saturday, April 20th, the FDNY called a smoking manhole in to Con Edison at Kingsbridge Armory, located on Jerome Avenue and West Kingsbridge Road. When Con Edison crews arrived on scene, they found burning cables (which was the reason for the smoking manhole) and made the necessary repairs that afternoon. There was no visible damage to Con Edison equipment and no injuries. According to our public outage map, it doesn’t look like there are any outages associated with this location either.”

 

The company said the cables in question belong to Con Ed. We asked Con Ed if there was electrical work being carried out at the armory and will share any updates we receive.

 

As reported, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President and CEO Andrew Kimball, Northwest Bronx Community & Clergy Coaltion, and others unveiled the guiding principles for the “Together for Kingsbridge Vision Plan” in August 2023, outlining next steps for a process that will include the latest redevelopment of the historic and long-underutilized Armory, since the last failed Ice Center project was finally abandoned in 2022.

 

The latest Request for Proposal (RFP) period for development bidders to respond to ended on Jan. 18, as reported, following a lengthy community envisioning process, discussed during a series of workshops held over several months, and which were rooted in community priorities, and drawing on growing industries. The RFP was launched in September 2023. The vision plan focuses on creating family-sustaining, local jobs and improving the quality of life for residents of Kingsbridge Heights and the neighboring Bronx communities.

Backed by a $200 million investment by Adams and Hochul, City officials said the redevelopment effort could deliver over 1,800 jobs, including 1,100 construction jobs, and up to $10 billion in economic impact to the Bronx based on initial estimates.

“The Kingsbridge Armory is a tremendous public asset that is not serving the community,” Adams said in August 2023. “This project has the potential to unlock billions in economic impact for the city while creating over 1,800 good jobs right here in the Bronx.” He added, “And after sitting down with more than 4,000 Bronxites over the past nine months, we are proud to deliver their vision for the armory’s next chapter: a source for good union jobs and a beacon of opportunity for the Bronx.”

 

For her part, the governor said, “After years of dwelling on the history of the Kingsbridge Armory, we are finally looking ahead to its remarkable future. I know how critical the future of the Armory is to this community and to the entire borough of The Bronx, which is why I prioritized locking in $100 million in State funding that will allow this transformative project to move forward.” She added, “Working with local leaders and our partners in the City of New York, the Kingsbridge Armory will anchor this neighborhood, address longstanding community needs, and boost the local economy and I anticipate a project labor agreement to create good-paying union jobs at this site as we work to bring this project to fruition.”

Meanwhile, during her recent State of the Borough address on Thursday, April 18, at Cardinal Hayes High School in the South Bronx, Bronx Borough President Vanessa Gibson also addressed various economic development initiatives in The Bronx, including the community-driven reimagining of the Kingsbridge Armory, and announced a further $2 million investment in the project.