HOUSTON — Norris Conference Centers has opened a new 30,000-square-foot location at the 37-acre CityCentre mixed-use development in Houston. The facility, which was designed to meet International Association of Conference Centers (IACC) standards, offers eight meeting rooms ranging in size from 1,700 to 7,700 square feet. This location marks Norris Conference Centers’ fifth facility in Central Texas. CityCentre is a development of Houston-based Midway Cos. The $500 million, 1.8 million-square-foot center is located between Interstate 10 West and the Sam Houston Tollway/Beltway 8.
DEER PARK, TEXAS — The City of Deer Park has purchased almost 8.72 acres of land at 6406 Highway 225, near the intersection of Luella Avenue and Pasadena Freeway, in Deer Park. The City will use the land for an expansion of the fire department’s training facilities. The current training site is located adjacent to the newly purchased site. Bobby Grisham of Grisham Associates represented the City; Doug Bates and Joel Hill of Henry S. Miller Brokerage LLC represented the seller, Monarca Corporation of Seabrook Texas.
OCALA, FLA. — Ocala-based Edwards Construction Services will break ground during the first half of 2010 on a 30,000-square-foot sanctuary for College Road Baptist Church. Located at 5010 S.W. College Rd. in Ocala, the sanctuary will accommodate 650 worshippers. The property will feature offices, a choir practice suite, a bookstore and a coffee shop.
HOUSTON — The Lone Star College System has acquired a significant portion of the Hewlett Packard North Campus, located at the intersection of State Highway 249 and Louetta Road in northwest Houston. The college purchased eight major buildings totaling 1.2 million square feet, as well as parking garages and other support structures for the buildings. The campus had previously housed Compaq’s world headquarters. The purchase will provide the college with space for a new University Center for north Harris County, an instructional satellite campus, a Corporate College conference and training facility, and College System administration and support space. Classes will be held at the location starting in spring 2010. The new campus is more than double the size of school’s largest campus, Lone Star College – CyFair, which is located in Cypress, Texas. Terms of the deal were not released.
BOSTON – Live Nation has entered into an agreement with an undisclosed party to divest three of its non-core venues located in Boston for approximately $22.5 million in cash plus an earnout at the Orpheum Theatre over the next 5 years. The venues include the Boston Opera House, Orpheum Theatre and Paradise. The transaction is set to close third quarter of this year. Live Nation will continue to promote non-theatrical shows at each venue.
NEW YORK CITY — A joint venture between The Durst Organization and Bank of America has completed the historic restoration of Henry Miller’s Theatre, located on West 43rd Street in New York City’s Times Square. The 50,000-square-foot theater contains 1,055 seats and is situated adjacent to the 55-story Bank of America Tower. The original façade of the theater, which was constructed in 1918, was preserved and restored, and many historic elements of the theater were used in the new construction. The theater was closed in 2004 due to the construction of the Bank of America Tower. The project also is applying for LEED-Gold certification and, upon receipt of the designation, would be the first LEED-certified theater in the city. An emphasis was placed on renewable and recycled construction materials. The building’s finishes use Forest Stewardship Council-certified wood; wall panels and baseboards contain high amounts of recycled content; and almost half of the foundation and superstructure’s cement was replaced with blast furnace slag, a byproduct of iron manufacturing. Other sustainable features include advanced air filtration systems, locally sourced construction materials, low-flow fixtures and a recycling program for demolition and construction waste. The construction manager for Henry Miller’s Theatre was Tishman Construction …
FORT MYERS, FLA. — Locally-based J.L. Wallace has completed the renovations of Fort Myers Christian Center, a non-denominational Christian church and community outreach center. The renovations included the addition of a new lobby, kitchen and classrooms to the 8,000-square-foot building. Additionally, the company created a new sanctuary space in the existing building. The property is located at 3500 Fowler St. in Fort Myers. David Grossman of J.L. Wallace served as project manager, Dennis Tyeryar served as superintendent and Robbyn Spears served as project manager assistant.
LONG ISLAND, N.Y. — Saratoga Springs, N.Y.-based Atlantic Energy Solutions has been awarded a $12 million contract from the Long Island, New York, School District. The project entails installing energy efficient systems in various schools in the district, including a new 200kW solar photovoltaic system, a 300kW cogeneration system, an IT network management system, weatherization improvements, major HVAC renovations, and boiler and lighting system replacements. The project is estimated to save the school district $700,000 in energy costs per year. The construction timetable was not released.
PHILADELPHIA — Construction is underway on Lenfest Hall, a new $65 million, 106,000-square-foot music education and student residence center for The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Located at 1610 to 1618 Locust Street, the nine-story facility will include 88 student residences, an orchestra rehearsal room, studios, a kitchen, dining, lounge spaces and practice rooms to accommodate the school’s long-established needs for additional space. The new building is registered for LEED certification with the U.S. Green Building Council. The development manager for the project is Razak/Athenian and the architect of record is Venturi, Scott Brown Associates. The project is slated for completion in time for the fall 2011 semester.
THE WOODLANDS, TEXAS — The Woodlands Development Company has held the grand opening for Riva Row Park & Boat House, a 1.6-acre public park located along The Woodlands Waterway in The Woodlands. The park is located at the junction of the upper and lower levels of The Woodlands Waterway. The park features the Riva Row Boat House, which rents kayaks for use on the waterway. The project was conceived by Sasaki & Associates. Contractors for the project include Millis Development & Construction and Jones & Carter.