Ribbon-Cutting marks new chapter for 204 Avenue A

After decades of organizing, delays, rebuilding plans and post-Sandy setbacks, residents of 204 Avenue A officially celebrated the reopening of their building last Thursday with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and a homecoming of sorts. 

The new building at Avenue A between 12th Street and 13th Street now includes 10 permanently affordable cooperative apartments and ground-floor retail space (currently a spa). Seven longtime families returned to the rebuilt property, while three new families joined the co-op. 

During the ceremony, resident leader Juan Roberto Santiago reflected on the long road to reopening, tracing the building's history back to the early 1990s, when tenants entered the city's Tenant Interim Lease program with support from GOLES. (Organizers also kept the plans moving forward through four mayoral administrations.) 

Over the years, the project passed through multiple city administrations and eventually required a full reconstruction following severe structural deterioration and damage from Superstorm Sandy. 

"This was never just about one building," Santiago said. "It was about community, dignity, perseverance, and the belief that ordinary people working together can achieve extraordinary things." 

The project was redeveloped through the city's Affordable Neighborhood Cooperative Program. Construction on the new building began in January 2020, with residents moving back in last spring.