Frida Escobedo and Handel Architects have shared photos of their newly topped-out National Black Theatre and Ray Harlem mixed-use development in Manhattan.

The project entails a new 27,000-square-foot theater, retail spaces, and a 222-unit residential component strategically located along the historic 125th Street corridor in East Harlem. It is the first scheme in the city to utilize the Visual and Performing Arts bonus included in a comprehensive 2008 rezoning plan, expanding on the late National Black Theatre founder Barbara Ann Teer’s vision for “an artistic ecosystem that uplifts the community,” according to Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine. Proponents say its creation is also a catalyst for greater representation in the theater and cultural industries overall.

Construction will now continue towards the NBT’s expected public opening in 2026. Once complete, the theater will include a 250-seat immersive technology performance space, a 99-seat flexible studio theater, a set building workshop, classrooms, and offices for the 55-year-old organization, which traces its origins to the Black Arts Movement of the late-1960s. Another multi-purpose “communal living room” anchors the site. 

It is the first public building in New York City for the 41-year-old Escobedo, who is also designing the expanded Modern and Contemporary Art wing of the Metropolitan Museum of Art and was named the third winner of the Charlotte Perriand Award last month.

NYC Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo said: "The future home of NBT will build on the beautiful legacy of Dr. Barbara Ann Teer, who knew the power of the performing arts to express, to unite, to interrogate, and to bring joy to us all. With more than $28 million committed by the City, we're proud to make a major investment in this visionary project, which will create an asset in the heart of Harlem that serves this community holistically — bringing not just first rate arts programming but affordable housing, entrepreneurial training, and so much more. When we invest in culture, we invest in our communities — nowhere is that connection clearer than here at the future home of the National Black Theatre."

Costs for the project have been reported at $185 million, with $28 million being provided by the city. Construction began in 2022 and is expected to be completed by the end of 2024.