Gerald Valgora (/jeɪ væl-gɔr-a/;) also known as Jay Valgora, is an American architect, architectural theorist, and urbanist.  He is the founder and principal of the architectural design firm Studio V.[1][2][3][4]

Jay Valgora
OccupationArchitect
PracticeStudio V Architecture
BuildingsEmpire Stores, Iwataya Passage, Yonkers Raceway Expansion, Macy's Herald Square
ProjectsIndustry City master plan (Bush Terminal),

Seaside, Queens master plan, the Rockaways, NY

Anable Basin, original master plan Long Island City, NY

Early life and education

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Jay Valgora grew up in Buffalo, New York.[5] The steel mills where his father worked and the historic grain elevators of Buffalo influenced Valgora to become an architect.[5][6] Valgora studied architecture at Cornell University (BArch), Harvard Graduate School of Design (MArch) and was a Fellow in the Fulbright Program to the United Kingdom.[2]  At Harvard, Valgora studied under Pritzker Prize-winning Portuguese architect Alvaro Siza Vieira.[7]

In London, Valgora commenced his investigations into industrial waterfronts,[8] continuing with a Fulbright Fellowship.[9]

Career

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In 1993, Valgora became design director of Rockwell Group, leading designs for the Cirque du Soleil theater, the Dolby Theatre (then known as the Kodak Theatre), the first W Hotel, and Mohegan Sun.[10] Starting in 1998, as design principal of WalkerGroup, Valgora designed buildings in the United States, Spain, and Japan[11] and began his investigations into combining contemporary design with historic and industrial architecture.[12]

In 2000, Valgora established V Studio, a design studio.[13] In 2000, Valgora designed the Iwataya Passage in Fukuoka Japan,[14] and designed the set for Double Exposure, a multi-media dance production by Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater that premiered at Lincoln Center, New York.[15]

This practice formed the basis for founding Studio V Architecture in 2006.[16] He began to focus on the redesign of industrial waterfronts to transform former industrial sites.[17][18]

Design philosophy

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Valgora's design methodology focuses on critical inquiry engaging contemporary form with historic structures.[19][20] Architectural examples include the J + K Residence (contemporary townhouse inserted on top of an historic hotel),[21] Bronx Post Office, Macy's Herald Square (historic fabric contrasting contemporary fabrication)[22] and Hunts Point train station, originally designed by Cass Gilbert.[23] Valgora's designs have also juxtaposed different uses for a single structure, as seen in his design for Frank 57, which includes a hospital, three types of residences (luxury, affordable, and co-living), and retail.[24]

Valgora's designs for the Empire Stores[25] addresses many of his design principles  within a single project, combining historic and contemporary architecture.[26][27] His project  “Silo City,” which transformed the grain elevators in Buffalo, NY into an arts and cultural center, features art galleries mixed with velodromes, residences and community gardens.[28]

His design for the abandoned Michigan railway bridge spanning the Niagara Gorge between the US and Canada proposed converting the bridge into an elevated public park, hotel, and museum.[16]

His design for Iwataya Passage in Fukuoka, Japan features a reinterpreted underground public street with illuminated glass and cable structures connecting train stations, hotel, and stores.[14] Valgora's Flushing River master plan envisioned a new waterfront community with elevated esplanades and parks.[29]

Valgora's design for the adaptive reuse of oil tanks at Maker Park / The Tanks was also the subject of debate on the adaptive reuse of industrial structures.[30][31]

Notable works

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Architecture

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Urban Design

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Interior Design

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  • 50 Murray, New York City, interior design[41]
  • Morimoto Asia, Lake Buena Vista, FL[42]
  • J+K Residence, Manhattan, NY[43]

References

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  1. ^ Goff, Lisa (2008-02-18). "Young architecture firms land work in the boroughs" (PDF). Cran's. XXIV (7): 28.
  2. ^ a b "Jay Valgora: Industrial Revolution". soa.syr.edu. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  3. ^ "Astoria Cove Architect: East River is 'Next Central Park'". Commercial Observer. 2014-11-04. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  4. ^ a b "Coming Soon To Brooklyn: A Silicon Valley-Like Tech Hub On The East River". Fast Company. 2014-05-02.
  5. ^ a b "Featured Member: Jay Valgora, FAIA". AIA New York. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  6. ^ "Jay Valgora - STUDIO V Architecture". GetPodcast. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  7. ^ "Jay Valgora's schedule for 2013 MAS Summit for New York City". massummit2013.sched.com. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  8. ^ Parry, Bill (2014-11-13). "Astoria Cove architect applauds City Council decision – QNS.com". qns.com. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  9. ^ "At the Desk of John Valgora". The Real Deal. December 2014. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  10. ^ Menking, William (2018-01-18). "Studio Visit, Studio V". Architect's Newspaper.
  11. ^ Collins, Glenn (2003-12-03). "In Dumbo, Remaking a White Elephant; Brooklyn Waterfront Landmark, Long Abandoned, Awaits New Life". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  12. ^ "Reviving Brooklyn's Waterfront, 19th Century Warehouses Evolve Into 21st Century Hubs". ArchDaily. 2013-09-14. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  13. ^ Garbarine, Rachelle (2004-05-07). "Residential Real Estate; Condos to Rise Near the Pepsi Sign in Long Island City". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  14. ^ a b c Louie, Elaine (2000-09-07). "CURRENTS: PASSAGEWAYS; Seeing the Light Throughout the Tunnel". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  15. ^ "Double Exposure". Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. 2010-03-16. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  16. ^ a b c d "Studio V". The Architect's Newspaper. 2013-01-28. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  17. ^ "Waterfront Management Advisory Board - DCP". www1.nyc.gov. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  18. ^ "Comprehensive Waterfront Plan charts the course for the future of New York City". Brooklyn Eagle. 2021-12-19. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  19. ^ "SAAHP Lecture Series: Jay Valgora | Roger Williams University". www.rwu.edu. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  20. ^ "Reviving Brooklyn's Waterfront, 19th Century Warehouses Evolve Into 21st Century Hubs". ArchDaily. 2013-09-14. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  21. ^ Xie, Jenny (2018-12-04). "Gilsey House Rooftop Penthouse by STUDIO V Architecture - Luxury New York Penthouse". Dwell. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  22. ^ "Stella 34 Trattoria | 2013-07-16 | Architectural Record". www.architecturalrecord.com. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  23. ^ Gill, John Freeman (2022-01-28). "In the Bronx, a Push to Save Cass Gilbert's Train Stations". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  24. ^ "Frank 57 West". architectureprize.com. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  25. ^ "Empire Stores by Jay Valgora, Aia, Aicp, Leed Ap, Studio V Architecture | International Design Awards™ Winners". www.idesignawards.com. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  26. ^ "Empire Stores, 2019 ULI Global Awards for Excellence Winner". ULI Americas. 2019-05-14. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  27. ^ "Empire Stoes". Oculus. 81 (1): 30. Spring 2019.
  28. ^ "Silo City – World Buildings Directory | Architecture Search Engine". Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  29. ^ Vatner, Jonathan (2011-04-13). "For Flushing and Its Waterfront, Time to Think Big". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  30. ^ Davidson, Justin (2019-06-17). "Can a Gas Tank Be a Playground? Dueling Ideas for Bushwick Inlet Park". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  31. ^ Wachs, Audrey (2019-08-07). "Contested oil tanks in Bushwick Inlet Park are being demolished to make way for open space". The Architect's Newspaper. Retrieved 2023-03-14.
  32. ^ "Macy's iconic NYC flagship store getting $400M makeover". CTVNews. 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  33. ^ Valgora, Julian M. (2020-12-17). "Seaside Rockaway". ArcGIS StoryMaps. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  34. ^ "QUEENS GETTING A ROYAL UPGRADE". 2009-03-01. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  35. ^ Vatner, Jonathan (2011-04-13). "For Flushing and Its Waterfront, Time to Think Big". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  36. ^ "Walking the Rails". The Architect's Newspaper. 2013-08-06. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  37. ^ "City Council OKs Halletts Point megadevelopment rezoning amendment". Crain's New York Business. 2022-10-05. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  38. ^ Davidson, Justin (2019-06-17). "Can a Gas Tank Be a Playground? Dueling Ideas for Bushwick Inlet Park". Intelligencer. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  39. ^ Rosenberg, Zoe (2015-07-24). "Two More Big Developments May Rise on Astoria's Waterfront". Curbed NY. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  40. ^ "Silo City by Studio V Architecture wins The Future Project of the Year 2021 at WAF". World Architecture Community. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  41. ^ "Lower Manhattan apartment project ready to rent. (Residential). - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com. Retrieved 2023-01-18.
  42. ^ "Morimoto Asia wins AIA Orlando's Design Built Award of Merit". Interior Design. Retrieved 2023-03-31.
  43. ^ Xie, Jenny (2018-12-04). "Gilsey House Rooftop Penthouse by STUDIO V Architecture - Luxury New York Penthouse". Dwell. Retrieved 2023-03-31.