NEW YORK, Jan. 29, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Terrence O'Neal Architect LLC (TONA) is performing a major $25 million, 125,000 sf reconstruction and upgrade for Covenant House New York on the three buildings at its 460 West 41st Street site. The renovation is the second step in a master plan to rebuild the nonprofit's busiest Manhattan locations.
Bruce J. Henry, executive director of Covenant House New York says, "Each year more than 4,000 kids come to us seeking shelter and help. This expansion gives us an increased opportunity to give every young person a bed."
Says TONA Principal O'Neal, "Every detail of the redesign is aimed at reinforcing the purpose: to provide a safe, welcoming haven for young people in crisis and in transition."
To create a shining "beacon" to welcome youths under a name that is both familiar and comforting, TONA is creating a courtyard at the main entrance with plentiful greenery and a brightly lit canopy identifying Covenant House. Extensive landscape improvements are also being installed.
Residential rooms and administrative offices are being regrouped, gutted, rebuilt and significantly improved. Building A will house all residential quarters. Rights of Passage, the longer term transitional living plus education/career guidance program, will occupy the building's upper floors and gain a new, separate entrance and elevator on 40th Street. The Crisis Center, located on the lower floors of Building A, will be accessed through the main entrance. Situating resident advisors' rooms centrally will make them more accessible and offer greater visibility to monitor each floor. Large windows will invite natural light to penetrate the residents' lounges situated on each floor, and well-placed fixtures will also maximize the brightness. The reconfigured space will be able to accommodate 200 beds in Rights of Passage and 300 in the Crisis Center, increasing the residential capacity by approximately 60%.
Building B will include a child care center and redesigned chapel on the first floor with a full recreation complex on the upper floors. Building C will house administrative offices, health care suites and a renovated cafeteria.
Electrical, information technology, and mechanical/HVAC systems are being significantly upgraded or replaced with state of the art equipment including new boilers, sprinkler systems and water service for all buildings. All rooms and offices will have high speed Internet access and be fully handicapped accessible.
Construction was launched in August 2006, with Phase I of the renovation scheduled for completion in April 2007, and Phase II slated to end in 2008. The project follows closely TONA's renovation of the Keturah W. Wood Mother Child Crisis Center at 427 West 52nd Street in 2004.
Terrence O'Neal Architect LLC (TONA) is a full-service architectural, design, project management and planning firm based near the historic Union Square in Manhattan. Major TONA projects include renovations and new construction for over 40 large-scale multi-housing developments, the NYC School Construction Authority and Newark Public Schools, major corporations including NBC Universal and Prudential Financial, and such healthcare institutions as Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. A strong advocate for the members of his profession, O'Neal was 2006 president of the American Institute of Architects for New York State (AIANYS).