The Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy has launched Fifty for Floyd Bennett Field, a public campaign to support the rehabilitation and reactivation of historic Hangars 3 and 4 at Floyd Bennett Field in Brooklyn.
The campaign was launched in connection with the second biennial Floyd Bennett Field! Public Arts Festival on Saturday, Oct. 3.
The free festival drew an estimated 2,200 people to the national park site for an evening of projection-mapped artwork, community dining and outdoor programming. The event was presented by the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy in partnership with the National Park Service at Gateway National Recreation Area.
"The spectacular turnout and positive response this weekend proved that New Yorkers are hungry to connect with the deep history and incredible open spaces of Floyd Bennett Field," said Terri Carta, executive director of JBRPC.
Fifty for Floyd Bennett Field asks New Yorkers to contribute $50 or whatever they can afford, with donations ranging from $5 to $500 and beyond.
The campaign supports a $100 million partnership between the conservancy and National Park Service to rehabilitate and adapt Hangars 3 and 4 for arts, education, research, workforce development, recreation and visitor services.
The effort builds on Floyd Bennett Field’s role in Brooklyn’s history. New York City’s first municipal airport, the 1,300-acre site became part of Gateway National Recreation Area in 1972.
The Public Arts Festival demonstrated one possible future for the hangars. Fifteen newly commissioned works by 21 contemporary artists were projected onto the buildings’ brick-and-glass facades, using light, animation, sound and storytelling to explore the site’s history and environment.
JBRPC said the festival was intended to build public awareness and support for the hangars’ future.
The field has a long aviation history, including flights and record-setting attempts involving Amelia Earhart, Howard Hughes and other aviation pioneers. Today, the site provides open space and recreational opportunities along Jamaica Bay.
The next stage of the field involves Runway Green, a workforce development nonprofit, which signed a 60-year lease for Floyd Bennett Field for their educational campus earlier this year.
New Yorkers can support the campaign and view plans and architectural renderings for Hangars 3 and 4 at JBRPC.org/future.
The campaign will continue as planning and rehabilitation efforts move forward.
