Building 140 on the northern tip of New York’s Governors Island once stored gun powder, cannon balls, and rifles. Soon, it will dish out tacos, finger food, and beer. The former munitions house at Soissons Landing is being converted into a chic restaurant and events venue. New renderings by SHoP Architects and OSD offer a first glimpse at the forthcoming project.
Trust for Governors Island and Taco Vista, a long-time Governors Island vendor, are both behind Building 140’s redevelopment. There, Alphabet City Beer Company’s David Hitchner and Zack Mack and Michelin-Star executive chef Eduard Frauneder will help build a year-round, three-part dining and events concept.
Cumulatively, Building 140 encompasses about 10,000 square feet. The historic structure will soon be divided between three different spaces: Prescilla’s, a cafe with a Mediterranean-inspired food and drinks menu; The Riverline, a full-service restaurant and events space; and a new year-round location for Taco Vista.
Built in the mid-1800s, the development team will preserve and restore Building 140’s historic details while adding much needed ADA improvements. Upgrades to the adjacent waterfront landscape will be made. And Building 140 will eventually run entirely on electricity; it will have an electrified commercial kitchen, and solar panels on the roof.
“Since opening to the public year-round in 2021, Governors Island has grown into a destination for all seasons for nearly one million visitors each year,” said Clare Newman, Trust for Governors Island president and CEO. “We are excited to announce this new, expanded vision from the Taco Vista team that will increase delicious, affordable year-round food offerings for visitors while restoring one of Governors Island’s most treasured historic structures at Soissons Landing.”
Renderings from OSD show the entrance to Taco Vista shrouded by a wooden wall lined with twigs and plants. Meanwhile, Building 140’s brick exterior will be restored and upgraded with terrace seating under a canopy. The new cafe will have a shiplap ceiling, and a rounded bar will be clad with green tiles.
Today, Governors Island is already home to many year-round tenants, and Trust for Governors Island has refurbished many historic buildings there since 2021, when it became open year-round to the public.
Urban Assembly New York Harbor School, the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, the Billion Oyster Project, Beam Center, the Institute for Public Architecture, QC NY, and Buttermilk Labs are all sited there. Soon, a major new campus for the New York Climate Exchange by SOM will also break ground.
Construction at Building 140 will begin this winter, and complete in fall 2025.
