Three Projects Planned for Drug Co.

Pfizer, the global pharmaceutical company, has announced a $500 million building program that aims to expand its facilities in New Jersey. The plan ties into an incentive agreement signed with the administration of Acting Gov. Richard Codey to retain 2,070 jobs in the Garden State.

The plan calls for two projects at Pfizer's Morris Plains campus and another at a Parsippany facility. The jobs in Morris Plains entail construction of a new 450,000- to 500,000- sq.-ft. office building and a new 250,000-sq.-ft. research and development building, along with additional renovation and expansion of existing laboratory and office space. The job in Parsippany will be a 160,000-sq.-ft. expansion in order to house a research and development facility.

The state's Commerce & Economic Growth Commission approved three tax incentive agreements linked to Pfizer's multi-year expansion and renovation plan. Construction begins on the projects this quarter.

Brooklyn Academy Undergoes Restoration

After restoring the landmark exterior to its original 1908 Beaux Arts splendor, the Brooklyn Academy of Music is turning its attention to the venue's inner workings. Greyhawk North America of Woodbury, N.Y., construction manager on both phases of the restoration, is now overseeing replacements, upgrades, restorations, and new construction in the main building, the Opera House, and the Harvey Theatre.

The new phase for the nation's oldest music academy includes installation or upgrades to electrical and HVAC systems, roofs, freight systems, ceilings, fly systems, sound systems, fire curtains, fall arrest systems, and lobby and crew rooms, as well as construction of the Cinema Café. Completion is scheduled for summer 2006.

Park Slope Condo Tops Out

The first New York project co-developed by basketball great Earvin "Magic" Johnson, an eight-story condominium and retail building, recently topped out in Brooklyn's Park Slope. Johnson's Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund is teaming with New York developer Anderson & Associates on the 101,000-sq.-ft. project, which includes a parking garage and 4,500 sq. ft. of street-level retail space.

The Lauster & Radu Architects design incorporates portions of the Brooklyn Tabernacle auditorium, which occupied the project's site at 145 Park Place. HRH Construction of New York expects to complete the project in December.

Plans Advance for Stamford Office Tower

A recovering office market in Stamford, Conn., may enable construction to start as early as mid-year on what would be the city's tallest building. Louis Dreyfus Property Group says it is in talks with potential major tenants regarding Connecticut Place, a 23-story, 580,000-sq.-ft. office tower delayed for several years by a soft market.

Highlights of the design by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill include floor plates up to 28,000 sq. ft., space suitable for a trading floor, a cafeteria, a fitness center, floor-to-ceiling windows, column-free floors, and landscaped plazas. The site is on Washington Boulevard off Exit 7 of Interstate 95, and it will offer views of Long Island Sound.

Two New Condos in Cranford

Two condominium projects are underway in Cranford, N.J., a city about 15 miles from New York. Westminster Communities, a construction and development company out of Florham Park, N.J., and its partner, Belle Construction, recently started 18 to 20 months of construction on Cranford Crossing, a $16-million mixed-use development. Highlights of the 105,000-sq.-ft. project, located near the city's railroad station, include 50 condominiums in three and four-story buildings, 22,000 sq. ft. of ground-floor retail space, and a 310-space municipal parking garage.

Westminster and another partner, Rues Lane Building Associates, have completed about 60 percent of construction on Waterford at East Brunswick, a $30 million condominium community geared toward active adults age 55 and up. Scheduled for occupancy this summer, the 270,000-sq.-ft., four-story complex includes 148 units in a four-story building, a swimming pool, fitness center, theater, and a library and business center.

St. Francis College Tops Out Center

St. Francis College has topped out its new 35,000-sq.-ft. academic center on Remsen Street in Brooklyn Heights. The Brooklyn college plans to open the center this November.

Turner Construction of New York is contractor on the environmentally sustainable project, which maximizes natural light and uses largely recyclable building materials. The building, designed by Helpern Architects of New York, will have 14 "smart" classrooms, a state-of-the-art library, a 90-seat theater-lecture hall, and various other student and staff facilities.

N.J. to Build Sept. 11 Memorial

Construction begins this year on a $10.5-million memorial dedicated to the New Jersey residents who lost their lives in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Entitled "Empty Sky," the design by Frederick Schwartz will consist of two 200-ft.-long, 30-ft.-tall brushed stainless steel walls engraved with the names of those killed in the attacks. Liberty State Park in Jersey City will be the memorial's home.

A committee of families and arts community members selected Schwartz's design after a year-long competition. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, which lost 84 employees on Sept. 11, is contributing $7 million to the project.

New Wing for Medical Center

A new five-story, $5-million wing more than doubles the capacity of the Long Island Ronald McDonald House on the Long Island Jewish Medical Center campus in the New Hyde Park section of Queens. The facility offers temporary housing to families of seriously ill children undergoing treatment at the hospital. More than 8,500 families from all 50 states and 62 foreign countries have stayed at the facility since it opened in 1986.

Recently completed by B.R. Fries & Associates of New York, the 21,000-sq-ft. steel frame and concrete building is next to an existing two-story facility. Designed by N2 Design Group Architects of New York, the facility adds cooking, dining, lounge, and play areas, and increases the number of family suites from 18 to 42.

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