Civic Hall at Union Square

Civic Hall at Union Square, also known as Civic Hall, is a center for Civic Tech in Manhattan, New York City, that provides tech resources to New Yorkers of all ages and backgrounds. The Civic Hall space at the Zero Irving Building (124 East 14th Street) occupies 85,000 square feet across seven floors.[1] Civic Hall was founded in 2014 by entrepreneurs Andrew Rasiej and Micah Sifry.[2]

Opened in November 2023, Civic Hall aims to provide resources to pursue opportunities in the city's technology industry.[3] The Civic Hall space consists of state of the art classroom space, rented at below market rates to organizations and companies who provide workforce development with a focus on technology.[4] Civic Hall tenants are both for- and non-profit organizations, including LaGuardia Community College.[4][5][6]

Civic Hall is a subsidiary of The Fedcap Group, a non-profit holding company consisting of 20 subsidiaries in the broad fields of healthcare, education, economic and workforce development.[3]

History

Civic Hall in the Zero building

The original location of Civic Hall was a 18,500-square-foot office at 156 Fifth Avenue.[2]

Andrew Rasiej proposed the building project to the city in 2018. Rasiej led a unanimous Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) approval process to up-zone the former location of a P.C. Richard & Son store on East 14th Street.[7] The ULURP received unanimous approval in 2018 and the P.C. Richard & Son building was demolished.[8] In 2023, the 21-story tech hub was completed.[4][9]

The Zero Irving project was developed by RAL Development with Davis Brody Bond designing the building.[10]

In November 2023, Mayor Eric Adams announced the opening of the Civic Hall space, calling it a "laboratory for the entire country."[4][11]

References

  1. ^ "City Life Org - Civic Hall at Union Square, New Hub for Tech Jobs Now Open". City Life Org. 2023-11-01. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  2. ^ a b Bockmann, Rich (2016-10-17). "Co-working shop Civic Hall sheds Flatiron office over rent dispute with HRC Corporation". The Real Deal. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  3. ^ a b lincolnvillagesun (2023-11-03). "Union Square 'Tech Hub' touted as diversity uploader". The Village Sun. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  4. ^ a b c d Geringer-Sameth, Ethan (1 November 2023). "Tech start-up incubator heralded as sign of things to come". City & State NY.
  5. ^ Burt, Kristian. "Union Square 'Tech Hub' Set to Open in Coming Months After Covid Delays". Gotham Gazette. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  6. ^ Moses, Dean (2023-06-01). "LaGuardia Community College partners with Fedcap Group to bring educational opportunities to Union Square Civic Hall | amNewYork". www.amny.com. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  7. ^ "Public Approval Process Underway for New Union Square Tech Training Center". Union Square Partnership. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  8. ^ Warerkar, Tanay (2018-01-29). "City kicks off the public review process for Union Square tech hub". Curbed NY. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  9. ^ Young, Michael; Pruznick, Matt (2023-08-28). "Zero Irving Completes Construction at 124 East 14th Street in Union Square, Manhattan". New York YIMBY. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  10. ^ "Zero Irving's Curtain Wall Wraps Up at 124 East 14th Street in Union Square, Manhattan". New York YIMBY. 2022-09-13. Retrieved 2024-02-15.
  11. ^ Gillepsie, Max (2023-11-10). "Civic Hall at Union Square Celebrates its Grand Opening in Union Square". New York YIMBY. Retrieved 2024-02-15.

See also