WinnDevelopment and GDD Props. break ground on $200 million project; The Architectural Team, Inc. designs Sibley Sq. historic redevelopment

July 05, 2016 - Upstate New York
Rendering, Sibley Square - Rochester, NY Rendering, Sibley Square - Rochester, NY
Rochester, NY According to WinnDevelopment and GDD Properties, the companies have broken ground on the redevelopment of nearly 500,000 s/f of Sibley Square. The $200 million project broke ground on the major $100 million phase of the development that includes the construction of 96 modern luxury apartment homes on the 9th through 12th floors, retail on Main St., office space in the mid-rise, 72 active senior living apartment homes, and a complete rehabilitation of the entire façade and windows of the building. Boston-based, The Architectural Team, Inc., experts in adaptive reuse, historic preservation, and urban revitalization, is designing the project.

As the building undergoes this significant transformation, so to has its name.  The new Sibley Square name focuses on the square atrium around Sibley’s iconic clock where people have been gathering for over a hundred years. The square will be home to boutique retail and local artisan food products, creating a dynamic urban marketplace. The name and logo will be changed on all of the signage in the coming weeks.

“The public-private partnership between WinnDevelopment and New York State is a model for the governor’s approach to revitalizing our regional economies,” said lieutenant governor, Kathy Hochul. “The Sibley Building represents the entrepreneurial vision that fueled Rochester’s past success, and it will once again be at the center of innovation and our effort to move the Finger Lakes forward. This is a true milestone in the history of a great building and a great community once again poised for growth and opportunity.”

Construction on the top floor of the building, once home to the Tea Room of the Sibley Department Store, is already underway. Once completed, the floor will become the headquarters for High Tech Rochester’s Finger Lakes Business Accelerator Cooperative, an incubator for high-tech start-up companies that is expected to generate more than 1,000 new jobs within its first five years of operation.

“We are thrilled to take this leap forward in a project that will restore energy and economic development to the region’s most beloved building,” said Gilbert Winn, CEO at WinnCo.

“With class A office space and luxury apartments, the new Sibley Building is transforming into the innovative center for office, retail, and housing while maintaining its historic character.”

The Sibley Building, which earned a spot on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, was purchased by WinnCompanies in November 2012. The iconic fixture in the city’s skyline is comprised of a six-story main building with a 12-story tower and encompasses over 1 million s/f.

Rendering, Sibley Square - Rochester, NY Rendering, Sibley Square - Rochester, NY