FORT GREENE — “The new center will provide 18,000 square feet of activity space,” said Howard Marder, about the new Ingersoll Community Center in Fort Greene.

Marder, who is public information officer with the New York City Housing Authority, the agency which oversees the Ingersoll Houses and the center, also said the $7 million project will include a full gymnasium with a brise-soleil, a glass wall designed to maximize the amount of natural light in the gym. In addition to the gym, other amenities on the center’s first floor include a game room, dining area, kitchen and offices. An open stairway in the lobby leads to the second floor, which contains a library, classrooms, a computer lab and a lounge.

A rear yard will be landscaped and will have game tables and seating areas.

Housing Authority architect David Resnick designed the expansion and new construction, which includes an exterior of brick in a color reminiscent of the brick used on nearby MetroTech Center buildings.

The construction project, at 177 Myrtle Ave., corner of Prince Street, is described as “a comprehensive rebuilding and enlargement” of the original community center.

Construction involved the demolition of the existing one-story concrete structure and addition of a new two-story steel-framed superstructure on top of the existing foundations, retaining the original cellar and first-floor slab.

“The original building was a block of retail stores which were renovated in the late 1960s into a makeshift community center,” Marder said.

The anticipated completion date is December, according to Marder.

Built 1943-1944 due to the great influx of Navy personnel and civilians (71,000) working at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, the Raymond V. Ingersoll Houses are bounded by Prince Street on the west, Park Avenue on the north, St. Edward’s Street on the east, Myrtle on the south.

According to Marder, there are 20 buildings on the 22.9-acre site. The six- and 11-story buildings contain 1,802 apartments housing some 4,532 residents.

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