Gilbane Building Company joined NYC Parks, NYC Economic Development Corporation and Bronx elected and community officials, to break ground on the $87-million Orchard Beach Pavilion project to restore the historic 140,000-square-foot space. The groundbreaking was celebrated with a ceremony on Dec. 13 at Orchard Beach. Gilbane is serving as the construction manager for the renovation project.
The three primary objectives for the project are to restore the historic architecture of the landmarked building, provide greater ADA access and provide welcoming and viable amenities for the community.
As part of the project, the historic structural concrete roofs will be reconstructed with additional exterior finishes, including limestone cladding, glazed terracotta, terrazzo, cement plaster and metalwork to be restored. Additional trees will be planted and new light fixtures will provide illumination levels, which meet current standards for the restored pavilion.
The reconstruction project will gently raise the landside approach to the building and provide new accessible ramps to the upper level of the building. On the beachside of the building, a new curving, brick-clad accessible ramp will connect the upper level of the pavilion down to the beach. For the first time, all visitors to Orchard Beach will enjoy the same equitable access through the pavilion.
The historic concession spaces in the Loggias and within the pavilion will be built-out for new concessions. Partitions and finishes will be restored, and resilient new building systems will provide the required mechanical, electrical and plumbing services for these amenities to operate successfully. Parks will be soliciting proposals from quality food service operators to award concession agreements at the beach. Other public pavilion areas will be restored for community use and enjoyment. This work will bring the pavilion back to its historic conditions with access and amenities for every member of the community.
The 115-acre, 1.1-mile-long beach contains a hexagonal-block promenade, a central pavilion, snack bars, food and souvenir carts, two playgrounds, two picnic areas, a large parking lot and 26 courts for basketball, volleyball and handball. Changing areas and showers are available.
More information can be found here.
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