John Gallin & Son to complete 20,000 s/f build-out for Cooke Ctr.

John Gallin & Son has been retained to build out the six-story, 20,000 s/f Cooke Center Academy at 60 MacDougal St., according to Mark Varian, president of the firm. The Cooke Center is New York City's largest inclusive private educational organization providing a full range of services parents and professionals need for students and other children with disabilities. The building was previously home to a parochial school built in 1909. John Gallin's role is to install: new meeting rooms and new restrooms which comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act; new classroom finishes; central air conditioning; an elevator; a basement lunch room and an entrance ramp. The project will be completed during the summer. The school will remain open for its normal fall, winter and spring sessions. "We are strong advocates of the school's mission to provide a supportive and inclusive environment for students with special needs," said Varian. "This partnership with Cooke Center has provided us with the opportunity to make a difference in those students' lives and we're happy to have been a part of it." In fact, the construction team, which consists of the John Gallin team and various subcontractors, felt so close to the project that it has donated a portion of its fees to the school. The design team includes Dattner Architects and Shenoy Engineering.