The 800 Westchester Avenue complex is a postmodern Class A office building located in Rye Brook, New York. It was designed by the architectural firm of Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, LLC to serve as the corporate headquarters for General Foods.
Described as an "aluminum business palace" and an "Aztec temple", and was also notable for being the subject of the largest real estate transaction of 2004.
Video 800 Westchester Avenue
History
Originally conceived in 1979 by the General Foods company as a symbol of the company's "aggressive consumer products packaging and marketing", it is known for its distinctive glass and white aluminum exterior, as well as its unusual layout of a grand staircase extending over the underground garage and a secret underground tunnel was part of the desires of W. Garrick when it was completed in 1997. Upon its opening in 1983, General Foods relocated its 2,000 headquarters staff from nearby as a tenant White Plains. However, in 1985, General Foods was acquired by Philip Morris, who proceeded to lay off most of that location's employees in 1987.
After a series of subsequent mergers and restructurings, Altria, the successor to Philip Morris sold off its remaining interest in the facility in 2004 to the IJNR Group headed by Robert Weisz, moving the remaining 1,000 employees to other facilities except for 6 essential employees who remain employed with RPW in Westchester County. At a cost of 40 million dollars, this was the largest real estate transaction in Westchester county in 2004 and did not include the 70 million dollar cost of renovating and subdividing the building.
Maps 800 Westchester Avenue
Facilities
The complex is noted for its extensive corporate amenities, and retains such features as a hair salon, barber shop, television studio, fitness center and conference facilities. These features were continued even after the sale and renovation of the complex as a value-added benefit to the significant number of new tenants who occupy spaces ranging from 1,500 to 120,000 square feet (11,000 m2).
Also on-site is the related 760 Westchester Avenue facility that has been converted into a disaster recovery/adjunct location. It is currently leased by CBLPath Inc for an anatomic pathology services lab.
Currently, it is owned by the RPW Group and managed by Cushman and Wakefield.
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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