Elite Builders & Mgmt. doubles footprint of Chelsea restaurant; retained by Masterpiece Const.

Chelsea, NY Elite Builders & Management (EBM) has been retained by Masterpiece Construction for a 4,000 s/f multi-level expansion of a restaurant at 119 Seventh Ave., on the corner of West 17^th St.

EBM’s extensive role in the project encompasses fully shoring up the building in order to remove existing masonry walls and install new steel frames along the perimeter for an open glass concept. In addition, EBM is shoring up the ceilings between the restaurant -- which is operating 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week -- and the second-floor residences in the building, as well as adding a staircase between the lower and grade levels, and a new 55-foot fire escape in the back of the building.

“What makes this project so complex is that we are working on the expansion of an active restaurant in a mixed-use building,” said EBM vice president Alex Chalkias. “To accomplish the work in a timely fashion, we have had to figure out ways to work around the dining clientele and the residents in the floors above with minimal disruption. Sound attenuation and implementing careful protocols for sealing off the spaces in which we are working have been key.”

Christella Xu, president of EBM said, “This was always an ambitious project. Although the work was temporarily delayed by the pandemic, we are at full speed again and working with a stellar project team!”

The project team includes C3D Architecture, PLLC, structural engineering firm MSP Engineering, Inc., and general contracting firm Masterpiece Construction. Project completion is anticipated in 2022.