Alvin Ailey building new home on 55th Street

Real Estate Weekly, June 4, 2003

As workers synchronize their steps at a construction site at 55th Street & 9th Avenue in Manhattan, the Alvin Ailey Dance Foundation's new home is taking shape by going down before it heads upward. Tishman Construction Corporation of New York (TCC) is serving as Construction Manager for what will become the largest dance facility in the country, where foundations are now underway.

Called the Joan Weill Center for Dance, the building will house Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater (AAADT); Alley II, the Company's junior performing ensemble; The Ailey School; and the Foundation, which includes Alley Arts-in-Education and Community Outreach.

The luminescent, 77,000-SF home of the world-renowned AAADT will have eight stories: six above grade and two below, and will contain 12 dance studios ranging in size from 1,250 to 2,250 SF. Two of the studios will convert into a "black box" theater, seating up to 295 people, and complemented by a box office, green room, concession facility, and boutique.

The facilities will also include administrative offices; marketing and development work areas; library archives; and storage. Dance studios, student lounges, and warm-up areas with locker and bathroom facilities will support The Alley School.

The building will feature key design elements that serve to create a synergistic forum for dancers of all ages to learn, refine, and perform their distinguished craft. The East and South facades, facing Avenue and 55th Street respectively, consist of a glass curtain wall system "framed" by an articulated brick wall that will provide glimpses of the dance studios to the passing public, and add to the energy of the culturally vibrant Clinton District.

Tishman Construction Corporation of New York is responsible for managing, supervising, and coordinating all aspects of the project, including preparing bid packages; developing a complete critical path management system; developing and maintaining a schedule; and reviewing all value engineering options for its client and the project's owner's representative, Quartararo & Associates. The Tishman team recently performed demolition of an existing building, and proceeded to excavation.