Dominican Cultural Center To Open In GWB Terminal, Governor Says

WASHINGTON HEIGHTS, NY — The new community space occupying the renovated George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal will be home to a Dominican cultural and educational center, Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced this week.

The new cultural center will be managed by the non-profit Juan Pablo Duarte Foundation, which has an eight-year agreement with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey to lease the space, according to a press release. The center is expected to open in August of 2019.

"The establishment of this community center will create a collaborative cultural and educational space centered on Dominican heritage in Washington Heights that all residents will be proud of," Cuomo said in a statement.

The new center will feature event space for 150 people, space for workshops and cultural development programs and space where community members can promote Dominican art, culture and history, according to a press release. Officials did not say how many square feet the cultural center will occupy inside the terminal.

The George Washington Bridge Bus Terminal re-opened in May 2017 following a troubled renovation project that lagged two-years behind schedule. The renovation project was expected to cost $183 million and take one year to complete — it ended up taking three years and close to $200 million, officials said in 2017. The terminal's first retail tenant opened in September 2017.

The development was a public-private venture between the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and an entity called the George Washington Bridge Bus Station Development Venture.

Photo by Brendan Krisel/Patch