News
GALLIN'S 125TH!
December 22, 2008
We've been hearing about a slowdown in the construction industry as clients don't make any major decisions regarding space. Even John Gallin & Son, the oldest family-owned construction firm in New York City, is seeing a pullback in this economy. President and fourth-gen owner Mark Varian told us in his Madison Avenue office that although most of their corporate clients aren't building out major HQ space right now, we may see more consolidation and subleasing, requiring the use of architects and construction managers. Overall, projects will be plain vanilla: we won't see a lot of high-end jobs for a while. |
The firm, however, is not sitting idle. On top of recently completing the construction of the Action Center to End World Hunger, a first-of-its-kind interactive multimedia center developed by global relief/development agency Mercy Corps at Battery Park City, Mark tells us it's getting ready for its 125th anniversary in 2011, which takes some planning, including updating archives and collecting stories. Here, Mark stands with some of the photos, including a circa-1900 shot of his great-grandfather, grandfather and employees. Such relics not only help the firm, but also clients looking to put buildings and projects into a historical perspective, he says. Which you get after 123 years. |