Mission
Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation, the nation's first community development corporation, partners with residents and business to improve the quality of life of Central Brooklyn by fostering economic self-sufficiency; creating healthy, stable families; promoting the arts and culture; and transforming the neighborhood into a safe, vibrant place to live, work and visit.
A 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, Restoration is a dynamic institution that creates significant, sustainable and demonstrable impact in improving the well being of local residents and business.
Restoration Plaza- management, development and business attraction.
Mixed-Income Housing Development- rental and homeownership
Energy conservation- weatherization assistance
Workforce and Youth Development- job readiness, sector-specific training, career coaching, job placement and college prep
Asset Building- financial literacy and one-on-one counseling to reduce debt, improve credit, and enhance savings; benefit screening and enrollment; legal counseling; and social service referrals
Health- addressing health disparities by promoting access to healthy, affordable foods and encouraging physical activity
Arts and Culture-multi-discplinary arts instruction as well as visual and performing arts presenting programming
Small business services-entrepreneur education and micro-load fund
History
"The program for the development of Bedford Stuyvesant will combine the best of community action with the best of the private enterprise system. Neither by itself is enough, but in their combination lies our hope for the future."
Senator Robert F. Kennedy
344 Monroe Street
Bedford Stuyvesant
In 1964, with the cooperation of Senator Jacob K. Javits and Mayor John W. Lindsay, Senator Robert F. Kennedy set into motion a round of legislative action that created the Special Impact Program, an amendment to the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. He announced a seven point action plan that would serve as a national model for community development. The plan called for the formation of the Bedford Stuyvesant Renewal and Rehabilitation Corporation and the Development Services Corporation, involving assistance from some of the foremost leaders of the American business community.
Under the leadership of Judge Thomas R. Jones, in 1967 the Bedford Stuyvesant Restoration Corporation (Restoration) was formally established to consolidate and carry forward these efforts. Deputy Police Commissioner Franklin A. Thomas, an original board member of the Bedford Stuyvesant Renewal and Rehabilitation Corporation and later to become President of the Ford Foundation, was elected as Restoration’s first president. Initial funding support came from the Taconic Foundation, the Rockefeller Brothers Foundation, the Edgar M. Stern Family Fund, the J.M. Kaplan Fund and the Ford Foundation.
One year later, Restoration purchased an abandoned milk bottling plant in the heart of Bedford Stuyvesant, Sheffield Farms, to serve as its new corporate headquarters. Renovations soon began to create what is now known as Restoration Plaza. Completed in 1972, today this 300,000 square feet commercial plaza is home to Restoration’s headquarters, the historic Billie Holiday Theatre, the Skylight Gallery and scores of local businesses, non-profits and government agencies, including a post office, local branches of JPMorgan Chase, Washington Mutual Bank and Citibank, Super Foodtown, a satellite campus of the College of New Rochelle and Assemblywoman Annette Robinson’s office.
Since 1967, Restoration has catalyzed enormous economic, cultural, and educational improvements in Central Brooklyn. Just a sampling of our accomplishments include:
Housing: Restoration has constructed or renovated 2,200 units of housing, including homeownership and rental. The corporation has also beautifully repaired the facades of 150 homes on 150 blocks and provided $60 million in mortgage financing to nearly 1500 homeowners. As the height of its activity, Restoration was the second largest real estate owner in Brooklyn after the City of New York and controlled over $12 million in fixed assets. Today, Restoration remains committed to creating a mixed income community where households of all income levels have access to quality housing.
Economic Development: Restoration's programs have attracted more than $500 million in investments to Central Brooklyn: placed over 20,000 youth and adults in jobs; and catalyzed physical and economic improvements to Fulton Street.
Arts and Culture: Our Youth Arts Academy remains the only comprehensive arts education institution in Bedford Stuyvesant. Together with art resident the Noel Pointer Foundation, the Academy , offers instruction in dance, music, and theatre to over 400 students ages 3-18 each year. The Skylight Gallery continues to feature artwork across media, showcasing the work of some 100 artists each year and drawing an average of 2,000 visitors. The Billie Holiday Theatre is still the only resource of its kind in Central Brooklyn, serving 30,000 people annually over a 36-week season. Winner of numerous Obie and AUDELCO awards, the Theatre is fertile ground for aspiring theatre professionals and an incredible community resource for residents interested in enjoying quality theatrical performances by critically acclaimed playwrights.
Private Supporters
ADT
Amalgamated Bank
Amerigroup
Bank of America
Bed Stuy Gateway BID
Bedford Stuyvesant YMCA
Black Rock
BNY Mellon
Borah, Goldstein, Altschuler, Nahins & Goidel PC
Bridge Street Development Corporation
Brownstoners of Bed Stuy
BRP Companies
BSRC Weatherization Asst Program
The BTMU Foundation, Inc.
Heidi Burkhart
Capital One Bank
Fran Carlson
Carver Federal Savings Bank
Lisa & Dick Cashin
CBS Corporation
Centric/BET networks
Kevin Chavers
Kathryn & Kenneth Chenault
Chicago Title Insurance Company
Citi Foundation
Marisha Clinton
College of New Rochelle
Community Service Society of New York
Con Edison
Core Services Group
Darrell Harvey Family Foundation
John M. Devito
Blair M. Duncan
EmblemHealth
Emma Scheafer Charitable Trust
Emmanuel Baptist Church
Benjamin Esner
Federal Home Loan Bank of San Francisco
" Ivanhoe V. Ffriend"
Robert E. Buckholz Jr. & Anne Elizabeth Fontaine
Foodtown
Forest City Ratner Companies
Garrison Architects
Mr. & Mrs. Richard J. Glasebrook
Goldman Sachs & Company
Colvin O. Grannum
Colvin W. Grannum
Barbara D. Gunn
Harkness Foundation for Dance
Heightened Security Inc
Michael Henriques
Henry and Lucy Moses Fund
Home Depot Foundation
Michael & Carole Hopson
IM Foundation
Interfaith
JALBCA
JPMorgan Chase
Lamb Financial Group
Wadiyah A. Latif
Edward Lewis
Carol Sutton Lewis & Williams M. Lewis, Jr.
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
M&T Bank
Mertz Gilmore Foundation
National Grid Foundation
New York Community Bancorp, Inc.
New York Community Trust
Nixon Peabody LLP
Northrop Grumman Corporation
David & Janet Offensend
Oppenheimer Multifamily Housing & Healthcare Finance
Parsons Family Foundation
Partnership for New York City
Phoenix Realty Group, LLC
James and Elizabeth Pickman Foundation
Pinkerton Foundation
Pratt Area Community Council
Real Windows LLC
Robert Alexander Construction
Ronald McDonald House Charities
Rose Badgeley Charitable Trust
Ross & Hill
Roy Hunt Foundation
Glenn Edward Sharpe
Veronica & James Shipp
Single Stop USA
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP
Nancy & Joe Sponholz
Kevin & Robin Stein
Target Corporation
