BGA manages elevator upgrades at The SoHo Prince Building; Part of recent upgrades to the 12-story factory loft property

Manhattan, NY The SoHo Prince Building on 568-578 Broadway has completed several upgrades. This 12-story factory loft building in the SoHo Historic District contains 354,000 s/f of retail and office space, with façades along Broadway, Prince and Crosby Sts. 

The partnership of Allied Partners, A & H Acquisitions and Aurora Capital Associates, the building owners, acquired the property in 2003 and are implementing a multi-year program of building improvements. The property was last renovated in 1994. The owners are adding tenant amenities to meet the needs of their commercial and retail tenants, such as Group Nine Media and Zocdoc.   

Their largest tenant, Group Nine Media occupies 100,000 s/f and operates Thrillist, Seeker, NowThis and The Dodo companies. They are expanding onto five full floors. To accommodate Group Nine Media’s needs, the building owners offered to create a dedicated building entrance, a new lobby design plus the addition of a second passenger elevator, for their exclusive use.  

BGA was tasked with managing the team of the elevator consultant with the MEP and structural engineers, to design the building modifications to add a new passenger elevator, in an abandoned 12-story elevator shaft.  As part of the elevator project, the team refurbished the adjacent passenger elevator with new finishes and implemented a destination dispatch system. This elevator dispatch system groups passengers by floor destination, to minimize elevator stops and travel time.  

The team replaced the antiquated DC-powered elevator hoist machinery for both elevators with an AC powered system, which provides better controls and reliability. The addition of the second elevator necessitated the creation of tenant lobbies on each of the 11 floors, with modifications to their security and fire alarm systems.

BGA transformed the former Crosby St. freight lbby into a bright space dedicated to the Group Nine Media staff.  Using a mixture of suspended wood lattice ceiling grids, new finishes and energy-efficient LED lighting, the Lobby now reflects the Group Nine Media brand. 

Next up are the storefront entrances along Crosby and Prince Sts., which are being restored to match the original, historic oak-panel & glass door style and proportions. The work at both the retail and commercial tenant entrances will meet the LPC guidelines for the SoHo Historic Landmark district.  

The storefront restoration work and the modifications to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) require the approval by both Community Board 2 and the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). Working with the preservation consultants, Higgins Quasebarth & Partners, BGA developed presentation drawings and renderings of the proposed work.

BGA’s expertise with landmark properties, our attendance at various community board hearings and our presentations to the NYC LPC commissioners, has proved beneficial in advancing the project toward completion. 

In terms of the leasing support at the Property, BGA developed Leasing Plans for various prospects for the Ground and Basement level retail spaces.  We prepared contract bid documents for Demolition & White Box work, as part of the Landlord’s deliverables to the new Retail and Commercial Tenants. 

On each of these assignments, BGA was challenged with aggressive deadlines, the requirement for comprehensive contract bid documents and the need to accommodate the tenants, in a densely occupied building. The collaborative efforts of the building owners, the property management staff and the BGA team led to on-time completion. 

“Boddewyn Gaynor remains knowledgeable, reliable and easy to work with.  Their craftwork and caring attitude towards their clients, no matter how big or small, have ensured my personal success in repositioning the Prince Building.  Work with Boddewyn Gaynor!  They are a true one-stop shop that can do everything,” said Dylan Cecchini, director of property management, Aurora Capital Associates.