John Gallin undertakes a news job

Real Estate Weekly, March 29, 2006

In an unusually complex project, John Gallin & Son, Inc. has begun construction on the new Graduate School of Journalism for the City University of New York, which is scheduled for completion this summer.

The project is replete with a host of complexities, including an immense amount of wiring, running new electrical and HVAC risers and working without original building plans, all of which John Gallin & Son has overcome.

The foundation of the School is entrenched in journalistic roots. Gallin is constructing the Graduate School of Journalism at the former home of the Herald Tribune, a long-time New York daily that died in 1962. Located at 230 W. 41st St., the building stands, at some points, only six inches away from the new headquarters for The New York Times.

"I couldn't be more thrilled to help construct a newsroom where one of the most prestigious newsrooms in the country was once located," said Mark Varian, president of John Gallin & Son. "As several members of my family are journalists, I now have the opportunity to tie those roots to my family's construction business. I take great personal pride in this project."

Spanning 57,099 s/f, the Graduate School of Journalism is divided evenly between the third and fourth floors, where the printing presses for the Herald Tribune had been located. As such, the space is dotted with 33 large columns per floor, originally created to support the weight of the presses. Now, architect Steve Thomson, of Thomson Architects PC, will use them as focal points for the room.

On the third floor, Gallin will construct administrative and faculty offices, as well as high-tech studios to accommodate broadcast and print journalism students. The fourth floor will house classrooms and more offices. Gallin will be constructing an architecturally striking staircase to connect the two school floors.

The property itself actually comprises two separate buildings bridged together, one on 41st Street and another on 40th Street. Some structural elements had to be altered and additional floor slabs poured to meet the design intent.

"Coordinating the installation of a new electrical service and cooling tower with the actual build-out of a highly detailed, state-of-the-art, broadcast facility has been a unique challenge," said Walter Ziegler, Gallin's project manager.

The 13-foot ceiling height provides space for the wiring, electrical power and air conditioning system, which will be powered by a $1 million cooling tower located on the roof.