Mc Gowan Builders transforms firehouse into 5,000 s/f youth media center - $6 million project; Team members include: Osalis Development, Kostow Greewood Architects, and AMA Consulting

Mc Gowan Builders, Inc. is transforming a 124 year-old firehouse building into a media center on behalf of Manhattan Neighborhood Network (MMN). This 5,000 s/f building is located at East 104 St. The $6 million renovation project will be completed this year and provide the surrounding community with full access to new communications technology. The conversion from firehouse to media center includes renovations to the landmarked masonry exterior walls, construction of a new penthouse, a new elevator, new mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) services and completion of interior construction. Mc Gowan Bldrs. is installing live broadcast facilities, multipurpose rooms for community meetings, exhibition and performance spaces as well as access to broadband technology and production studios. The space will also be used to train those interested in careers in film production, journalism or video editing. A key component of the new Firehouse will be a Youth Media Center, offering media skills and job training to young people between the ages of 12-25. The Youth Media Center will also produce 20-hours a week of programming made by youth, for youth, that will air on MNN's four cablecast channels to more than 600,000 subscribers in Manhattan. The demand for access to New Media skills and training services for all city residents is growing rapidly. Underscoring this trend is the shift in city's economy and workforce to skilled sectors such as the growing film and video production and media industries. Project team members include: Osalis Development as the developer; Kostow Greewood Architects as the architect/engineer; AMA Consulting Engineers, P.C. as the MEP engineer; Robert Silman Associates and Structural Preservation as the structural engineers; Mueser Rutledge Consulting Engineers and Plan B Engineering as the bracing engineers; The Hirani Group as the underpinning engineer; Denham Wolf as the owners rep; TM Technology Partners, Inc. as the security consultant; Riverpoint as the environmental consultant; Astoria Mechanical as the HVAC provider; and C&M Masonry as the masonry provider. Mc Gowan Builders, Inc is a full-service general contracting and construction management firm based in East Rutherford, N.J., with regional offices in New York, Florida and Chicago. For a decade, Mc Gowan Builders has provided construction services to commercial and institutional clients, delivering projects for some of the most prominent firms and organizations in the nation, including Continental Airlines, Sheraton Hotels, JP Morgan Chase and Macy's. The firm provides assistance throughout all phases of complex construction projects, from the initial consultation to the final closeout. Mc Gowan Builders has earned a reputation for excellence through attention to detail, professionalism and over 30 years of construction experience. The firm's website can be found at http://www.mcgowanbuilders.com.