LOS ANGELES — The Salvation Army has completed the disposition of Booth Memorial Center, which is located at 2670 Griffin Ave. in Los Angeles. The 70,000-square-foot facility was purchased by Los Angeles Leadership Academy, a charter school that plans to use the space for classrooms. Built in 1931, the building was originally a hospital but has undergone many expansions and renovations, and mostly recently served as a maternity hospital, shelter and training center for unwed teenage mothers. Barry Baker and David Lachoff of Grubb & Ellis represented the seller; Howard Sadowski of Creative Environments represented the buyer in the transaction. Additional terms of the transaction were not disclosed.
GAINESVILLE, FLA. — The Florida division of Clancy & Theys Construction Co. has completed a 12,417-square-foot sanctuary at the St. Patrick Catholic Church. The property, which is owned by the Diocese of St. Augustine, is located at 412 N.E. 16th Ave. in Gainesville. The building includes acoustical panels on the perimeter walls and a cathedral-style open ceiling. Gainesville-based Brame Architects designed the church.
NEW YORK CITY — Roosevelt Island Operating Corp. has granted approval for the construction of Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park. The public park, which was designed by Louis Kahn, will be located on the south end of Roosevelt Island in New York City. It will feature an open-air plaza surrounded by three granite columns that will have Franklin Roosevelt’s famous “Four Freedoms” speech carved on them. Funding for Phase I of the project has been secured and construction will begin this summer. The park is being built by Franklin D. Roosevelt Four Freedoms Park LLC. The design of the park was originally commissioned by former New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller in 1973, but only in the past 2 years have the city and state recommitted to building the park.
MORENO VALLEY, CALIF. — The city of Moreno Valley has selected San Diego-based Gafcon Inc. as construction manager and San Diego-based Roesling Nakamura Terada Architects (RNT Architects) for the expansion of Moreno Valley’s public safety building. Located at 22850 Calle San Juan De Los Lagos, the existing 47,000-square-foot facility will be expanded to 120,800 square feet over the next several years. The conceptual design of the project is set for completion in March. Final design and incremental construction will begin when funding is established.
FORT MYERS, FLA. — Fort Myers-based J.L. Wallace is constructing the 1-acre Bunche Beach Preserve in Fort Myers. The property is located on John Morris Road. Bunche Beach Preserve will include green features like boardwalks and piers made from recycled materials and restrooms that use reclaimed rainwater. Electricity for the site will be generated by the sun.
EL CAJON, CALIF. — San Diego-based Gafcon Inc., a construction and management consulting firm, has started construction on a new $40 million Public Safety Building in El Cajon. Proposition O, a half-cent sales tax, is funding the 119,400-square-foot property. The five-story building will include administrative and operational space for all divisions, a joint police and fire emergency operations center, a community meeting room, a communications center, an indoor firing range, a crime laboratory, property processing and storage area, a short-term custody facility and a central data center. The project is scheduled for completion in June 2011. KMA Architecture & Engineering was selected as the primary architect in partnership with McClaren, Wilson & Lawrie. Ledcor Construction is serving as general contractor for the project.
ORLANDO, FLA. — The Florida division of Clancy & Theys Construction Co. will construct the 117,000-square-foot Partnership III Building on the University of Central Florida campus in Orlando. The $15.6 million property will contain offices, classrooms and research labs. Designed by SchenkelShultz Architecture, the building is expected to deliver in December 2010.
ENCINITAS, CALIF. — The city of Encinitas has completed the reconstruction of Fire Station No. 3 in Encinitas. Located at 801 Orpheus Ave., the two-story, 7,256-square-foot station is twice the size of the 1970s-era station, which formerly occupied the site. The first floor features offices, a training classroom, a physical fitness center and three oversized bays for fire trucks and other emergency equipment. The second floor features a living area with bedrooms, a dining area, a kitchen and a day room with an outdoor deck. Barnhart Inc. served as construction manager for the $3.55 million project. Domusstudio Architecture provided architectural services for the project.
COLUMBUS, GA. — West Point, Ga.-based Batson-Cook Co. has completed the 170,000-square-foot National Infantry Museum in Columbus for the National Infantry Foundation. The $91 million development follows the evolution of the infantryman from the Revolutionary War to modern conflicts. More than 500 employees worked on the project.
CASA GRANDE, ARIZ. — The city of Casa Grande has selected Phoenix-based Accelerated Construction Technologies as general contractor for the development of Performance Institute, a 59,700-square-foot facility in Casa Grande. Scheduled for completion in mid-September, the $20 million, 50-acre campus will be the west coast training facility for the new United Football League, a new location for Greenville, S.C.-based ProaxisTherapy, and a top-level tennis, golf and soccer training center called Grande Sports Institute. Local residents will also have use of the facility, which will include soccer and football fields, tennis courts, an Olympic track, a fitness center and locker rooms, as well as a physical therapy facility, a sports academy, classrooms, data rooms and two lobbies.