Timbale Terrace by the numbers
The project
LionFox advised the project.
Developed by Mega Development and Lantern Organization with HPD. Broke ground in February 2026.
Casa Belongó will have a performance hall for more than 300 guests, a public balcony for free performances, music classrooms, community workspace, and a café and jazz club called Chico’s Corner.
The site was the parking lot of the NYPD’s 25th Precinct.
Rendering: Urban Architectural Initiatives
- At a glance
- Location
- East 118th Street and Park Avenue, East Harlem, New York
- Building
- 20 stories, designed to Passive House standards
- Supportive homes
- 97, including 30 for young people aging out of foster care, with on-site services from Lantern Community Services
- Casa Belongó
- Permanent home of Belongó, founded by Arturo O’Farrill as the Afro Latin Jazz Alliance
- Design
- Urban Architectural Initiatives. Casa Belongó by Diller Scofidio + Renfro.
- Expected completion
- 2028
Project timeline
- August 13, 2021
HPD selected Lantern Organization and Mega Development to develop Timbale Terrace.
- October 24, 2023
Manhattan Community Board 11 voted to recommend approval with conditions.
- January 3, 2024
The City Planning Commission approved the applications.
- February 14, 2024
Shams DaBaron testified in support at the City Council Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Sitings and Dispositions.
- March 7, 2024
The City Council approved the project unanimously.
- February 18, 2026
Mayor Zohran Mamdani, city officials and the development partners broke ground.
Shams DaBaron testified in support of Timbale Terrace at the City Council.
City Council Subcommittee on Landmarks, Public Sitings and Dispositions, February 14, 2024
What he told the Council
He pointed to the project’s mix of supportive homes and workforce housing, its cultural center, and the changes the team made after hearing from the community.
In the news
- Timbale Terrace breaks ground in East HarlemRead
- Belongo Executive Director Marietta Ulacia on Timbale TerraceWatch
- New East Harlem development to add 341 affordable apartments, cultural centerRead
- 20-story performance venue, affordable housing building coming to city lot in East HarlemRead
- Mamdani attends groundbreaking for new affordable housing on old NYPD parking lot in East HarlemWatch
- Council Votes to Approve Timbale Terrace Project in East HarlemRead
- Latin Jazz Great Arturo O'Farrill Sets the Stage for New Culture Hub in East HarlemRead
Public records
- Mayor's Office announcement of the groundbreakingOpen
- Video of the groundbreaking press conferenceWatch
- City Council subcommittee hearing on Timbale Terrace, video and transcriptOpen
- City Planning Commission report approving the projectOpen
- Manhattan Borough President's recommendation on the projectOpen
- HPD announcement of the development teamOpen
