Under the sculpted, neo-Renaissance ceiling of the Prince George Ballroom in Manhattan, KT Tunstall performed before an intimate Artists Den audience, revisiting her hits and giving a sneak peek of her upcoming sophomore album, Drastic Fantastic (Virgin/EMI), a follow-up to the massively successful Eye to the Telescope. Tunstall's dynamic sound found full expression with a five-piece band, filling the ornate, colorful ballroom with equally lavish music.
THE PRINCE GEORGE
Once one of New York City’s premier hotels, the Prince George was rehabilitated by Common Ground and reopened in 1999 after many years of decline. Built in 1904 and located in Manhattan’s Madison Square North Historic District, the Prince George is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The Prince George provides permanent, affordable housing for 416 low-income and formerly homeless adults and combines it with a variety of social services provided by Common Ground’s partner, the Center for Urban Community Services, that help tenants put their lives back on track and manage their housing, careers, and health-related needs.
In addition, the Tenant Services staff offers programs and activities to foster the community life of the building. Over the past year, highlights included financial self-sufficiency workshops; nutritional and acupuncture services; monthly visits from a traveling dental van; classes covering topics such as yoga and painting; and sponsorship of a Community Supported Agriculture partnership that provides tenants and neighborhood residents with weekly deliveries of fresh organic produce at affordable prices.
In 2005, Common Ground lovingly restored the Prince George Ballroom to its original architectural splendor. Working with four other non-profit groups, including Alpha Workshops, Parsons School of Design, Brooklyn High School of Preservation Arts and Youthbuild, the Neo-Renaissance ballroom was completed as a design-build project by Beyer Blinder Belle Architects. The Prince George Ballroom provides a glimpse into New York’s elegant history. Passage to the ballroom is through the sleek, modern World Monuments Fund Gallery, and it reveals layers of the landmark building’s past, hinting at the glories ahead.
Designed at the beginning of the 20th century, the Ballroom is rich with intricate neo-Renaissance details. Its golden silk walls provide an elegant backdrop for the dramatic garlands, cherubs, and acanthus leaves that ornament the room. Its herringbone oak floor, grand marble mantelpiece, and heavily ornamented ceiling add to the dramatic effect.
A volunteer committee working with Common Ground raised the $1.5 million restoration budget from private individuals, foundations, and government agencies focused on job training and preservation. World Monuments Fund has located its permanent exhibition space at the entry foyer/gallery designed and built by architecture students of the Parsons School of Design. Proceeds from the rental of the Prince George Ballroom support the expansion of Common Ground’s housing development work.COMMON GROUND
Common Ground’s mission is to end homelessness through innovative programs that transform people, buildings and entire communities.
Common Ground knows firsthand that the homeless have talents and dreams…that a person who is capable of extraordinary things can wind up homeless. Common Ground knows too, that one can only make a difference in the lives of homeless people by first providing them with a home. Then they can actively participate in their own rehabilitation.
In 1990, Common Ground pioneered the concept of mixed-income supportive housing – affordable housing for a range of income groups with on-site social services. These services help formerly homeless tenants restore their health, regain their economic independence, and rebuild their lives. Of those they assist, 93% remain stably housed. Indeed, their lives are transformed.
Today, Common Ground is one of the largest providers of housing for the homeless in the country, and a leading innovator of replicable strategies to end homelessness. For more information or to donate, visit www.commonground.org.
