NEW YORK CITY — The General Services Administration (GSA) has tapped Chicago-based architecture and engineering firm Krueck Sexton Partners (KSP) to design the $240 million redevelopment of the Silvio J. Mollo Federal Building in New York City. Constructed in 1974, the 10-story, 160,000-square-foot building is located at 1 St. Andrew’s Plaza in Lower Manhattan and houses the offices of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York and the U.S. Marshals Service. Enhancements will include the replacement of all major building systems, modifications to the base building structure and the installation of a new façade. Other building modifications will include the development of a new main entrance, upgrades to the building’s accessibility and security infrastructure and the implementation of a new interior design plan. As part of the project, KSP will also design two floors of swing space at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Office Building at 26 Federal Plaza that will serve as temporary accommodations for building occupants during the modernization. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2023 with completion scheduled for summer 2026.
AMARILLO, TEXAS — General contractor Adolfson & Peterson Construction, in partnership with Potter County, has broken ground on the new District Courts Building, a 158,250-square-foot civic project in Amarillo. Designed by HOK Group, the five-story building will house courtrooms, a jury assembly room, county offices, holding areas and records storage space. Completion is slated for late 2022.
NEW YORK CITY — Hellenic Classical Charter School (HCCS) will open a 36,000-square-foot academic institution for students in grades 3-8 at 1641 Richmond Ave. in Staten Island. HCCS has entered into a ground lease with the owner of the land, Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Community, to develop the project. Marty Cottingham, Michael Gottlieb and Patrick Steffens of Avison Young represented HCCS in the ground lease negotiations. HCCS also secured $44 million in bond financing from youth empowerment organization Build NYC to help finance construction of the new building.
BOSTON — Locally based design firm Finegold Alexander Architects has unveiled the new design and renovation of the Eliot Innovation School in Boston. The school is part of a three-building campus in the city’s North End neighborhood and will serve students in grades 5-8. The building formerly served as an FDA testing facility and an office property before its latest conversion to a school. Construction of the $15 million project was completed in September 2019, but the coronavirus outbreak delayed the school’s opening.
CLAREMONT, CALIF. — C.W. Driver Cos. has broken ground on a $43 million expansion of Pomona College’s Athletic and Recreation Center in Claremont. Located at 220 E. Sixth St., the 95,000-square-foot facility will provide additional space for the Pomona-Pitzer athletics program through a mix of renovations and new construction. Slated for completion by fall 2022, the facility will include 15,000 square feet of additional training and weight rooms, dedicated areas for cardio exercise, athletic department offices and expanded locker rooms. Enhancements to the center will include expanded variety and faculty locker rooms; a strength and conditioning center; additional training and conditioning space; an all-new, two-court practice and recreational gymnasium above the fitness area; three new team meeting rooms; individual offices for coaches and administrative staff; and equipment storage space. The center will be designed to achieve LEED Gold certification, with daylight shading devices to mitigate solar heat gain, HVAC systems that prioritize natural ventilation, rooftop photovoltaics and solar hot water. C.W. Driver Cos. is partnering with SCB Architects on the project.
HASLET, TEXAS — General contractor Adolfson & Peterson Construction has completed Haslet Elementary School, a 100,431-square-foot institution that will be located outside Fort Worth and that will be part of the Northwest Independent School District. The school, which has the capacity to enroll 850 students, features an open concept library, learning pods with classrooms and collaborative spaces. Austin-based Huckabee designed the project, construction of which began in summer 2019.
NEW YORK CITY — Locally based real estate private equity firm Madison Realty Capital has broken ground on a 478-unit multifamily project in the Woodside area of Queens. Roughly 30 percent (143 residences) of the units in the building, which will also include 15,000 square feet of retail space, will be designated as affordable housing. Residential amenities will include a fitness center with a separate yoga room, a media lounge, laundry room, storage room, parking lot, bike storage, tenant lounge, rooftop terrace with a recreation kitchen and onsite parking. As part of the larger project, Madison Realty Capital is also developing a 78,000-square-foot public elementary school in partnership with the New York City School Construction Authority and Department of Education. The school will serve about 475 students in kindergarten through fifth grade. A tentative completion date was not released.
EAST HARTFORD, CONN. — Connecticut-based Goman + York has brokered the sale of a 57,000-square-foot property formerly known as William Seely School that is located near the junction of I-95 and State Routes 12 and 184 in East Hartford. The new owner, Connecticut-based DonMar Development, plans to redevelop the 14-acre property into a 280-unit apartment community. Goman + York represented the seller, the Town of Groton, in the transaction. A construction timeline for the redevelopment was not disclosed.
OKLAHOMA CITY — Tanenbaum Equity Partners (TEP), a subsidiary of Oklahoma City-based Gardner Tanenbaum, has purchased a portfolio of 42 federally leased properties in 11 states for $106.5 million. Most of the buildings, which collectively total 573,000 square feet, were constructed as build-to-suits for government agencies such as the Social Security Administration, the Department of Homeland Security and the Veterans Administration. A Dallas-based team of Sunny Sajnani, Todd McNeill and Brandon Wilhite of Marcus & Millichap Capital Corp. arranged acquisition financing through Arkansas-based Centennial Bank on behalf of TEP. A Colliers International team led by Geoff Ficke represented TEP in the sale. The seller was CoreCivic, according to the Nashville Business Journal.
GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS — Major League Cricket (MLC) has received approval from the City of Grand Prairie on a long-term lease agreement to redevelop the 5,445-seat AirHogs Stadium in Grand Prairie into the organization’s first major cricket venue in the United States. The stadium is currently the home field of the Texas Airhogs Minor League Baseball team. The project will increase the seating capacity to accommodate more than 8,000 spectators with additional and upgraded hospitality features and amenities. International architecture firm HKS has been tapped to design the project. Upon completion in 2022, the venue will house the Dallas franchise of MLC, as well as the headquarters of USA Cricket, the sport’s national governing body. MLC plans to launch its inaugural season in 2022, with the stadium expected to be ready for cricket by the spring of that year.