MBB Architects to Convert 1857 Cobble Hill Firehouse into Noel Pointer Foundation Music School
The historic Engine Company 204, located at 299 DeGraw Street in Brooklyn and unoccupied since 2003, is set to be converted into a music school and the headquarters for the Noel Pointer Foundation. The groundbreaking ceremony for the $17.8 million initiative took place on October 6. MBB Architects are overseeing the 5,800-square-foot renovation, which will preserve the building's original facade while replacing garage doors with glass openings. Inside, plans include a reception area, a main ensemble room, soundproof lesson spaces, a recording studio, and a terrace in the backyard. Established in 1995 by Chinita Pointer in honor of her late husband, Grammy-nominated violinist Noel Pointer, the foundation has impacted over 39,000 public school students in NYC. Completion of construction is anticipated in fall 2028.
Key facts
- Ground was broken October 6 on a $17.8 million adaptive reuse of Brooklyn's former Engine Company 204 firehouse at 299 DeGraw Street
- MBB Architects designed the roughly 5,800-square-foot, three-level music school for the Noel Pointer Foundation
- The New York City Department of Design and Construction manages the project for the Department of Cultural Affairs
- The building has been vacant since the firehouse closed amid city budget cuts in 2003
- The facade restoration preserves pointed-arch lintels and "B.F.D." lettering beneath the bracketed cornice
- The Noel Pointer Foundation was founded in 1995 by Chinita Pointer in memory of jazz violinist Noel Pointer, who died in 1994 at age 30
- The foundation has brought string music education to more than 39,000 New York City public school students
- A 2009 proposal to convert the firehouse for the Brooklyn Philharmonic stalled; the city committed capital funding in 2019
- Construction is expected to be completed in fall 2028
Entities
Artists
- Noel Pointer
- Chinita Pointer
Institutions
- MBB Architects
- Noel Pointer Foundation
- New York City Department of Design and Construction
- New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
- Engine Company 204
- Brooklyn Philharmonic
Locations
- Brooklyn
- United States
- New York City
- New York
- Cobble Hill
- 299 DeGraw Street