New York’s $10 million grant will help restore Hangars 3 and 4 at Floyd Bennett Field for arts, education, workforce training and coastal-resilience research.

Floyd Bennett Field hangars in Brooklyn will receive $10 million in state funding as part of a larger effort to preserve two historic aviation buildings and reopen them for year-round public use, Gov. Kathy Hochul announced on November 2.

The money will go to the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy and will support Phase 1 work inside Hangars 3 and 4. The state says the restored space is planned for community programs, education, workforce development, technological innovation and park activities. The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York, known as DASNY, will administer the state investment.

The announcement is an important funding step, but it is not a notice that the full redevelopment is finished or ready to open. The governor’s release did not provide a construction start date, completion date or public opening schedule.

What the $10 million will support

The state grant is intended to restore the interior of the two hangars and make affordable public programming possible while the larger redevelopment moves forward. Hochul described Floyd Bennett Field as a New York treasure and said the investment is meant to combine preservation with new opportunities for families, students and community groups.

DASNY President and CEO Robert J. Rodriguez said the project can preserve an important part of New York history while supporting workforce development, education and community activity. State Sen. Roxanne Persaud and Assemblymember Jaime Williams also backed the investment, emphasizing public access and the need to move from planning into construction.

The state did not publish a line-item budget for the $10 million. It also did not say how much will go to design, construction, accessibility, building systems, programming or operating costs. Those details will matter as the project advances.

Different roles are planned for Hangars 3 and 4

Hangar 3: culture, visitors and community events

The Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy’s project plan calls for Hangar 3 to become a flexible public destination. Proposed uses include arts and cultural performances, family programs, educational activities, food and beverage service, a rooftop terrace, bike rentals and an in-park shuttle.

The conservancy also wants the hangar and nearby lawn to support recurring public events. Those plans are still proposals. Specific operators, prices, leases and annual programming schedules were not included in the governor’s announcement.

Hangar 4: science, resilience and workforce training

Hangar 4 is planned as a science and conservation hub developed with the City University of New York and the Science and Resilience Institute at Jamaica Bay. The concept includes laboratories, technical space, computer modeling and field-based work focused on nature-based approaches to flooding, habitat loss and coastal risk.

CUNY Chancellor Félix V. Matos Rodríguez said the location can support climate research and public learning. Conservancy leaders said the site could also become a base for workforce programs that prepare young adults for jobs connected to conservation, restoration and environmental technology.

The project combines federal preservation and a larger reuse plan

Floyd Bennett Field is federal property within Gateway National Recreation Area. That means the National Park Service, not New York State, controls the historic site. The state grant supports work led through a partnership that includes the Park Service and the Jamaica Bay-Rockaway Parks Conservancy.

A National Park Service project page describes a $25 million rehabilitation of Hangars 3 and 4 aimed at preserving their Art Deco structure. A 2025 conservancy briefing described the broader adaptive-reuse vision as a $75 million capital project. The new governor’s release identifies $10 million for Phase 1 interior restoration.

Those figures should not automatically be added together. They were published at different times and may cover different construction, preservation and program scopes. The November 2 release does not reconcile the totals or state the full amount still needed. Readers should treat the $10 million as one funding commitment within a larger, multi-part project.

Why Floyd Bennett Field is historically important

Floyd Bennett Field was dedicated on May 23, 1931, as New York City’s first municipal airport. It was named for Floyd Bennett, a naval aviator who received the Medal of Honor after flying with Richard E. Byrd on a 1926 Arctic expedition.

According to the National Park Service’s history of the site, 26 transatlantic or around-the-world record flights began or ended there between 1931 and 1939. The airfield later became a major naval air station during World War II. It eventually became part of Gateway National Recreation Area.

The park now covers more than 1,300 acres and includes grasslands, wetlands, shoreline, former runways, a marina and historic aviation buildings. Visitors can bike, fish, watch birds and take part in recreation and educational activities.

What coastal research could add

Jamaica Bay is both a public landscape and a vulnerable coastal ecosystem. Wetlands can reduce wave energy, hold stormwater, support wildlife and store carbon. Research at the field could test restoration methods in a dense urban region that faces flooding, sea-level rise and extreme heat.

That work could benefit neighborhoods around Jamaica Bay, but the research value will depend on clear public goals, reliable funding and results that are shared beyond academic institutions. The state announcement did not identify specific research projects, employers, job-training commitments or the number of people expected to participate.

Why the project matters beyond New York City

No Mohawk Valley property receives money from this announcement. The project is still relevant to Central New York because it shows how governments and nonprofit partners can reuse large historic structures instead of abandoning them.

Utica Phoenix recently explained how historic tax credits support rehabilitation and adaptive reuse across New York. The Phoenix has also covered state-recognized preservation projects and Oneida County’s effort to find a new use for the large Building 101 complex at Griffiss Business and Technology Park.

Those projects differ in ownership, funding and intended use, but they raise similar questions. Can an old building meet modern accessibility and safety rules? Who will operate it after construction? Will programs remain affordable? What public benefits will be measured, and who is responsible if costs rise?

What remains unanswered

The $10 million announcement establishes the state’s commitment, but several practical details remain open:

• The schedule for Phase 1 construction and public access.
• The total current budget for preservation, interior construction and long-term operations.
• Which proposed programs will open first.
• How admission, food, performances and other services will be priced.
• How many permanent jobs, training positions and research placements will be created.
• How accessibility, transit and safe connections across the large park will be addressed.

The governor’s office said the project will create economic, social and environmental benefits, but the release did not provide updated projections or a formal benefits agreement. The conservancy previously estimated that the broader redevelopment could bring more than 100,000 additional visitors each year and create economic activity during construction. Those projections should be revisited when the final budget and opening plan are available.

How New Yorkers can follow the project

Residents can review the official state announcement, check the conservancy’s project page and use the National Park Service visitor page for current park information. The conservancy also offers project updates and a public survey about future uses.

If you have visited Floyd Bennett Field, worked on a historic-building reuse project or have ideas about how large public spaces should serve their communities, share your experience in the comments.