LeChase’s Victory Lofts project scores “Best of the Best” honor from ENR

Johnston City, NY LeChase Construction Services’ Victory Lofts project has been named the “Best of the Best” renovation/restoration project in the nation by Engineering News-Record (ENR).

The honor recognizes how LeChase partnered with Paulus Development to transform the abandoned 275,000 s/f EJ Victory shoe factory into 156 upscale market-rate apartments, along with space for future retail. Units combine a contemporary lifestyle featuring modern amenities with an industrial character conveyed through features such as concrete ceilings and exposed brick.

“Everyone on this project took great pride in giving new life to the historic EJ Victory building,” said LeChase vice president Adam Green.

“We’re honored that ENR appreciates the significance and care invested in this restoration and we thank everyone in Broome County who supported the effort.”

The award was the latest of several high-level accolades LeChase has received from the publication. Victory Lofts – along with LeChase’s expansion of the Strong National Museum of Play and construction of the UR Medicine Orthopaedics and Physical Performance Center in Rochester – earned 2024 Regional Best Projects Awards from ENR NY. LeChase was also chosen last year as ENR NY’s 2024 Contractor of the Year, which included a feature profile in the magazine’s July 2024 edition.

In addition:

The Victory Lofts restoration was one of two LeChase projects – the other being The Strong Museum expansion – to win 2024 Build America Awards from the Associated General Contractors of America. The honor recognizes the country’s “most impressive construction projects.”

Governor Kathy Hochul named the Victory Lofts as one of 11 winners of the 2024 New York State Historic Preservation Awards. This annual honor, according to Hochul’s announcement, recognizes “excellence in the protection and revitalization of historic and cultural resources.”

The Victory Lofts project broke ground in March 2022 and restored a storied landmark that had been vacant for nearly 40 years. The shoe factory, which opened around 1920 and supplied a significant share of U.S. Army footwear, was named Victory to honor the allies’ triumph in World War I. The factory closed in the late 1960s, and the building served as vehicle storage until being abandoned in the 1980s.