Posted Tuesday, June 21, 2016 8:28 pm

A Bronx Supreme Court judge is seeking to break the ice between the city and the developer that wants to convert the Kingsbridge Armory into a massive skating and hockey facility.

Earlier this month, Judge Ruben Franco proposed that the city release the Kingsbridge National Ice Center’s lease from escrow on condition that KNIC has until February to gain funding for the project.

The suggestion received a cool response from KNIC, which said it wants to move on its project with no preconditions. Earlier this year, the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) put KNIC’s lease on the armory in escrow, saying the organization had not raised enough funds for the first phase of construction.

“Our client will not commit to any agreement that does not put this project in the best possible position to be successful,” said William A. Brewer III, a lawyer for KNIC. “Our client has satisfied the terms of the Escrow Agreement and believes the signed lease, in its current form should be released — with no strings attached.”

City authorities did not immediately answer a request for comment.

Bronx Councilman Fernando Cabrera, whose district includes the armory, welcomed the judge’s proposal.

“I respect Judge Franco’s position, which I believe is good for both parties,” he said in an email statement. “Imposing a time limit can be helpful in moving this project forward.”

In the meantime, it looks like one casualty of the battle for the armory could be the hip-hop museum that organizers promised would come to the site amid much fanfare in 2014.

While an institution called the Universal Hip Hop Museum has coalesced since then, its president, Rocky Bucano, has all but ruled out the Kingsbridge Armory as a future location.

“It was so up and down. One minute it was happening, the next minute it wasn’t. We couldn’t wait around any longer,” he said.

Mr. Bucano was at a March 2014 press conference that Mr. Cabrera held on the steps of City Hall to announce the hip-hop museum would be coming to the armory.

In a phone interview, Mr. Bucano said the Bronx’s status as the birthplace of hip-hop makes it a logical place for the museum, but that the borough “needs to get its act together.”

Mr. Bucano is now eying the Old Bronx Courthouse as a possible site for the museum, though he added Times Square is also a possibility.

“Talks need to be moved to the next level. Everyone needs to be locked in a room together. We want it in the Bronx, but we need to see what the landlord is going to ask for and how the city and state are willing to help,” Mr. Bucano said.

Mr. Cabrera stated that the future of the hip-hop museum comes down to funding.

“With regard to the hip hop museum, everything is contingent upon funding,” his email read.

Mr. Bucano envisions an institution similar to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, estimating it will cost $30 million to get off the ground. He said his organization is in “fundraising mode” and planning to hold its first gala in October.

He added he hopes a forthcoming Netflix show focusing on hip-hop and other music in the Bronx, Baz Luhrmann’s “The Get Down,” will give his project a boost.