Brooklyn's Progress
August/September 2005

By Harold Egeln

The featured special "art" attraction at the Brooklyn Museum on the evening of June 28 was the 2005 Building Brooklyn Awards ceremony presented by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce to honor 15 new construction and renovation projects in Brooklyn that have had a positive impact on the borough’s economy and quality of life.

Two executives, Commissioner Shaun Donovan, NYC Housing Preservation and Development, and John Griffith, Executive Vice President for Target Corporation's Property Development Division, were also honored for their significant contributions toward enhancing the business conditions and economic climate of Brooklyn.

Awards were given to the owners, architects, builders and all who had a part in 15 outstanding construction and renovation projects, representing over $473 million in investments in Brooklyn.  At the end of the night Rhonda Lewis, President and CEO, Bridge Street Development Corporation received extra recognition, the “People’s Choice Award.”  Poster boards of the winning projects were on display during the reception in the museum’s Beaux Arts-Court, and guests had an opportunity to select their favorite project.  The winner was presented during the Awards Ceremony.  Also on display during the reception were displays of goods and services from 15 businesses from the real estate and development field.
 
"The Brooklyn Chamber is proud to salute the 15 winning projects and Commissioner Donovan and Mr. Griffith for their efforts to promote Brooklyn’s economic prosperity,” said Brooklyn Chamber President Kenneth Adams, leading the ceremony in the Cantor Auditorium, which was nearly packed.  “There's a phenomenal amount of work going into this. There's been a high level of competition in all winning categories,"

Winners were chosen by a nine-member panel of architects, city planners, economic development experts and business leaders.

Brooklyn Housing Units
Commissioner Donovan put into action Mayor Bloomberg's $3 billion housing initiative, "Housing in the New Marketplace: Creating Housing for the Next Generation." Mr. Griffith is in charge of Target's $4.5 billion real estate budget, and leads the real estate, architecture, engineering, store planning, design and building services, and heads the Target Commercial Interiors teams.

"What we celebrate tonight is the next level as a city. But we must do it the right way," said Commissioner Donovan, talking about the fact that the city has added 700,000 people during the last decade and needs more affordable and quality housing. "No borough needs to do that more than Brooklyn."

The city plan that he coordinates will fund the creation or preservation of 65,000 housing units in the next five years, and a large portion of those will be in Brooklyn, he noted. Of Brooklyn Mr. Donovan said, "We are leading the city in attracting residents."

Target Stores Opening in Brooklyn
Target focuses on neighborhood improvement and involvement.  The company has stores at Atlantic Terminal and Gateway Drive, bringing in new customers and more revenue, and a third Target store is set to be completed in the Midwood/East Flatbush area by early 2007, with an estimated 1,000 construction and 500 permanent jobs.
 
"Brooklyn offers some of the best things in the world," said Mr. Griffith, noting that he visits every site where Target plans to build.

Brooklyn, he said, has "a teeming economy" with a "wonderful" mix of people, making it like "a United Nations."

People's Choice Award winner Rhonda Lewis and her Bridge Street Development Corporation were honored with the Residential-Affordable Housing Award during the ceremony for its 112-year-old Stuyvesant Heights Restoration Show House at 380 Lewis Ave. in Bedford-Stuyvesant.

"Tonight's honorees are part of a wave of major construction and development that is occurring across the borough in all sectors from residential to commercial to retail," said Mr. Adams. "The Building Brooklyn Awards are a way to recognize the individuals and organizations who continue to build their dreams in Brooklyn."

"Each of these projects, and all of the 2005 nominees, symbolize the vision and commitment of builders, owners, architects and contractors to make Brooklyn a better place to live and work," said Chamber Chairman Dan Holt, Co-Publisher of the Courier-Life newspapers, in a statement.

15 Winning Construction Projects
The 15 winning construction projects and their categories are: Brooklyn Museum Entry Pavilion (Arts and Culture); Williamsburgh Branch Library Renovation and Rehabilitation (Community Facility); The Packer Collegiate Institute (Education); Steiner Studios (Industrial); 80 Arts - The James E. Davis Arts Building (Office); Sound Portraits Production (Office); Parade Ground in Prospect Park (Parks and Open Spaces); Stillwell Avenue Subway Terminal (Public Works); Show House, 380 Lewis Avenue (Residential: Affordable Housing); 342 Sackett Street (Residential: 1-to-5 Dwellings); The Ice House, 1024 Dean Street (Residential: Multi-Family); Prattstore (Retail: Building); West Elm d.u.m.b.o. (Retail: Storefront); Trey Whitfield School (Honorable Mention: Unique Community Impact); and Atlantic Terminal Retail (Honorable Mention: Unique Economic Impact).

For more information on the Brooklyn Chamber Building Brooklyn Awards, visit http://www.ibrooklyn.com/.