Two beautifully fitted-out Tudor-style Fisher Houses were dedicated last Wednesday and their keys turned over to the James J. Peters VA Medical Center, which had provided the land on its Bronx campus.
The 16-suite houses designed by architect Carl Zarrello have nearly 13,300 square feet each. The ADA-compliant residences have plenty of cozy seating areas, numerous refrigerators, big freezers and washer-dryers and are connected to a common landscaped backyard.
Founded 30 years ago by the late Zachary and Elizabeth Fisher, the Fisher Houses include 84 such homes around the world, providing free lodging to 1,100 families each night.
Their nephew, Fisher House Foundation CEO Ken Fisher, a partner in Fisher Bros., noted, “We as a nation must do a better job to ensure our military veterans and families get the care they deserve, and our actions must speak louder than words.”
Project manager Brigid Wright of Plaza Construction oversaw the union job — a change from her normal office buildings — and her 94-year-old grandfather, a WWII Navy veteran, George Wright, drove himself from Pittsburgh.
The ceremony was attended by many vets, including some wearing the new medical exoskeletons that enable those with mobility injuries to walk.
“The Bronx is the center of spinal cord research for the entire world,” said US Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert Wilkie, who was on hand for the ribbon cutting. “My guess is that when there is a cure, it will come out of this place.”
