Boom! Health, a Bronx nonprofit, is transforming a building at the heart of Melrose into a health center, LGBTQ headquarters and sidewalk café.
The nonprofit – a collaboration between CitiWide Harm Reduction and Bronx AIDS Services – has signed a 25-year lease on the six-story building that was home to the Brook House furniture store for more than 50 years, according to the New York Daily News.
The 35,000-square-foot building at Brook and Third Avenues will become a LEED certified structure that will function as “an epicenter of problem-solving in the South Bronx,” Boom! President Jose Davila said.
“This building is going to be a game changer in that neighborhood,” said Davila, whose organization currently operates out of several satellite offices, Including The Harm Reduction Center On 144th Street. “We want to keep the flavor of the Bronx but bring a greater sense of community to the area.”
Boom! also hopes to reach out to the community with a 1,000-square-foot cafe featuring sidewalk seating at its new headquarters. [NYDN] – Christopher Cameron