(dis)assemble (the market)place

Set in Harlem, this studio explored Lenox Avenue (Malcolm X Boulevard) through the lens of a speculative design project that emphasized radical preservation as informed by the history of places, people, and events tied to the corridor.

Our project was the site at 125th Street and Lenox Avenue which contains a large commercial development housing a variety of national corporate retailers such as Whole Foods, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Victoria’s Secret. Incited by the rapid consolidation and development of this intersection due to the 2008 rezoning plan, we interrogated what preservation might mean within this context.

(dis)assemble (the market)place proposes the partial dismantling of the existing building, reconfiguring the floor plates and scattering reassembled fragments throughout the intersection of 125th Street and Lenox Avenue to define a new pedestrian plaza. Through the exploitation of the existing infrastructure the project seeks to present an ideological alternative to the generic commercial development of the corridor. To accomplish this we envision the structure modulating to create a market space of varying scales to accommodate local businesses, seasonal markets,  tabling vendors, as well as spaces of assembly or meeting for the community, and classrooms and offices for local unions and worker organizations.