Press Release
May 8, 2003

The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce today announced the 11 winners of the 2003 Building Brooklyn Awards.  The annual awards recognize one individual and 11 construction projects completed in 2001 and 2002 that have had a positive impact on the borough’s economy and quality of life.

“This year’s 11 winning projects span a wide spectrum of recent design and construction initiatives in Brooklyn – from housing to industry to education.  But, they all have one thing in common:  They make Brooklyn and the City of New York a better place to live and work,” Kenneth Adams, President of the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, said. 

The 11 construction projects include:

• The Brooklyn Tabernacle in the Community Facility category – restoration of the abandoned Loew’s Metropolitan Theater into a multi-faceted religious and community center and home for Brooklyn Tabernacle’s five-time Grammy Award winning choir
• Donald F. and Mildred Topp Othmer Residence Hall at Polytechnic University in the Education/Residential category – a distinguished 20-story new structure for 400 students; an important element in the effort to develop a 24/7 vibrant MetroTech community
• The Prospect Park Audubon Center, at the Boat House in the Cultural Facility category – restoration of the historic Prospect Park Boat House, creating the first urban Audubon Center in the nation
• Brooklyn College Library in the Education category – complete renovation combining neo-Georgian architecture with a modern addition to create a state-of-the-art 385,000 square foot library facility
  37 Greenpoint Avenue in the Industrial category – a manufacturing and design center that brought 24 companies to Greenpoint from canoe making to clothes tailoring, rejuvenating the area with jobs
• Rice in the Neighborhood Retail category – new DUMBO restaurant added a necessary amenity for the hundreds of office workers and residents in this popular new community
• Gilbert Ramirez Park in the Park category – redesign and reconstruction of a one acre neighborhood park in East Williamsburg, spurring development around the park and the surrounding neighborhood
• Kings Plaza Shopping Center in the Regional Retail: Renovation category – a complete overhaul, transforming the 30-year-old center into a modern shopping environment for the new millennium
• Gateway Center in the Regional Retail: New Construction Category – transformed approximately 50 acres of a former landfill into a retail center featuring 640,000 square feet of destination retail, adding 1,700 jobs to the local economy
• The Smith Gray Condominium in the Residential category – preserved a classic Brooklyn cast-iron loft building and converted it into 40 loft-style apartments
• Gibb Mansion in the Residential/Non-Profit category – restoration of an 1850’s grand mansion in Clinton Hill to create 71 studio apartments for low-income neighborhood residents

An 11-member panel of Brooklyn-based architects, planners, economic development experts and business leaders chose the winning projects.  Building owners, architects and contractors for the winning projects were selected for their vision and commitment to put abandoned buildings to use, enhance shopping options for Brooklynites, restore historic landmark buildings, keep manufacturing in Brooklyn, and to bring other necessary amenities to the borough.

The 3rd Annual Building Brooklyn Awards will be held on June 19, 2003, in the Beaux-Arts Court and Cantor Auditorium of the Brooklyn Museum of Art, 200 Eastern Parkway.  The event is hosted by the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.  The 2003 honoree is Andrew M. Alper, President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation.

Mr. Alper was appointed President of the New York City Economic Development Corporation (EDC) by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on January 15, 2002.  EDC is the City’s primary vehicle for business recruitment, corporate retention, and economic development services.  As EDC President, Mr. Alper also serves as the Chairman of the New York City Industrial Development Agency (IDA), a public benefit corporation administered by EDC that encourages business development, industrial expansion, and employment opportunities in New York City.  Prior to joining EDC, Mr. Alper was Managing Director and Partner at Goldman, Sachs & Company. 

To view the photos of all the nominees including the winning projects, please click here.