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President Steven Alessio attributes the longevity of Sweet Construction to “a lot of hard work – honest work. Everybody in the company works very hard. Everybody’s very honest and very professional, from the leadership right down to the laborer sweeping the floor.”

Established in 1912 as a family owned and operated business, Sweet Construction started as a masonry and construction subcontractor. By the late 1950s, the company was an interior construction contractor installing drywall. Sweet branched out into building showrooms for the garment industry in the 1960s and 1970s. A decade later, Sweet Construction started taking on larger interior construction projects, and in the 1990s, it built a terminal at JFK Airport.

Sweet Construction was incorporated in the state of New York in 1952, the year Marvin Sweet took over the business. In 2001, the company expanded and established an office in New Jersey and another in Atlanta in addition to the corporate headquarters in New York City. Sweet retired in December 2001. Alessio joined the firm in January 1980, and in 1990 became a minority part-owner. Since January 2002, he and Michael Boone have owned the company; they are only the third owners of Sweet Construction.

Sweet Construction specializes in commercial general contracting and construction management of complex projects, Alessio says. “Our specialty is >>  >> anything difficult in interior renovations and retrofits,” he declares. “Among our outstanding projects is doing the data center for T-Mobile in Syosset, Long Island. For the data center, we built a building inside a building. It’s basically a big mechanical and electrical facility. We’re also doing the T-Mobile data center upgrade in New York City.”

That project includes installation of cooling towers and generators on the roof of the building located on the Avenue of the Americas.

 The $100 million T-Mobile New York data center in Syosset is a single story, approximately 28 feet high that covers 38,000 square feet. The steel and masonry structure originally was a storage building. Approximately 20 subcontractors are working on the project, which is being managed by Sweet Construction. Sweet also is performing minor carpentry and minor masonry and fireproofing.

The data center is inside a building inside the original storage facility. “They wanted their facility to be watertight,” Alessio says. “They almost wanted it to be stronger than the building itself. So we built a steel and concrete structure inside the building – it’s exactly like a safe room.” Three separate fire protection systems – wet, dry and pre-action – can perform simultaneously in the building. The data center has an extensive building management control system for lighting and energy.

Started in February 2010 and completed in March 2011, the center has tight security around it. “There’s a lot of light and protection around the perimeter,” Alessio says about the facility. This includes access control and closed circuit television systems, and protection against electromagnetic interference. “Nobody could get into this building,” Alessio maintains.

The Art of Storage

Another complex project Sweet Construction recently completed is a $30 million fine art storage facility in Red Hook, Brooklyn, for the fine art auctioneer Christie’s. The approximately 250,000-square-foot building is a reinforced concrete structure built in the early 1920s. “It’s a 90-year-old building,” Alessio notes. “It was called Neodock and Terminal building. It used to store goods from the container ships when they came to New York Harbor.”

The six-story building measures approximately 550 feet long by 75 feet wide and is 90 feet tall. “It was fairly well gutted when we got it,” Alessio remembers. “We had to cut the building structure to put in the elevators and mechanical from one side to the other.” Sweet Construction installed high-speed freight elevators, new windows, stuccoed the exterior and built art storage vaults for individual tenants. “If you want to store some of your Picassos, you send them over there to Christie’s,” Alessio counsels tongue-in-cheek.

“This is a new venture for Christie’s,” he points out. “This would be used if you have a lot of excess artwork you want to put in storage. A lot of the very wealthy people who show their artwork and trade it around for six months need a place to store it.” Construction of the project >> >> started in September 2009 and was completed in October 2010. Among its challenges was “trying to get all the owners’ requirements to fit into the structures they’re buying or renting,” Alessio says.

The specially designed facility has customized air-purified, climate- and humidity-controlled storage units and private viewing galleries for multimillion-dollar artworks, manuscripts and furniture. These help art collectors who have run out of space to rotate and display their works. In addition to solid, mesh-lined walls, other high-tech security features include infrared video cameras, biometric readers and motion-activated monitors, as well as air quality monitors and smoke-, heat- and water-detection systems.

Mechanical systems and air exchangers are comparable to those used in healthcare environments. Vapor barriers and other humidity controllers ensure that no water penetrates the facility. Museum-quality lighting is installed throughout the facility. As the result of an overloaded power grid, Con Edison was unable to provide service and a temporary generator was utilized to supply power to the facility. Additionally, a permanent generator was installed for provisional support of life-safety services and climate/humidity control. Approximately 25 subcontractors worked on the Christie’s project.

Another project for Christie’s was the Haunch of Venison New York at Christie’s in Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. This $3.9 million combination of galleries and specialized auction space necessitated the complete renovation of the 20th and 21st floors of Christie’s to create an exclusive sales environment for select clients.

The 25,000-square-foot space houses private open galleries, individual viewing rooms, a confidential forum for specialized auctions and a storage room/vault for valuables not on display. Design details include an interconnecting stair and atrium between levels, terrazzo and hardwood flooring, extensive custom millwork and two skylights.

Both the T-Mobile and Christie’s projects were paperless. “Both of these jobs were done directly from the field,” Alessio points out. “All the submittals were posted on an ftp site, so the project was paperless. All the correspondence was over the Internet.”

A Small World

Sweet Construction has a long history of work with the Disney Corp. on its stores. “We had built about 13 Disney stores and had done all their work in the city,” Alessio remembers. “Then they were down to just one, and in January we decommissioned that store and built this store. It’s three stories on the first, third and fourth floors of an existing building in midtown in Times Square. The other store was on Fifth Avenue and 55th Street in the Coca Cola Building.”

The new $5 million Disney Imagination Park is located in the base of a 40-story building on Broadway between 45th and 46th Streets. “It is their flagship store – the flagship for the whole company,” Alessio emphasizes. “It’s very animated and full of characters, both on the wall and walk-ins. It’s an exciting shopping experience for anybody who likes the Disney product.” Approximately 18 subcontractors worked on the project.

The 40,000-square-foot interactive retail destination – which was completed in October 2010 – uses technology to create immersive experiences.

The incorporation of technologically advanced displays includes an interactive Disney Princess castle that serves as one of the many magical centerpieces.

An all-new children’s theater features the latest Disney entertainment, classic animation and traditional storytelling. Designed to showcase a wide assortment of products inspired by iconic Disney characters and key entertainment properties, the store facilitates active play and imagination and hosts children’s activities, special events and celebrity appearances.

Swatch Switch

The former Coca-Cola store at 711 Fifth Avenue was remodeled by Sweet Construction into the $4.6 million flagship boutique of Omega’s The Swatch Group (US) Inc. Designed by Barteluce Architects and Associates of New York, the store features numerous secure display cases, vaults and security doors, as well as articulating glass stairs, custom stone flooring, Marmorino plaster wall and ceiling finishes, and millwork fabricated in Europe.

Elsewhere in the Big Apple, Sweet Construction recently completed a $119 million project to restore the 258,000-square-foot Setai New York luxury hotel and residential development at 40 Broad Street in Manhattan. The project was already underway when Sweet took over. “The previous contractor was relieved of his duties,” Alessio explains. “They just weren’t paying attention to the job.” Over 25 months, Sweet managed construction of 165 condominiums, a private club and spa, a restaurant, fitness center, whirlpool, library, lounge and a screening room.

Rooftop amenities include a glass-enclosed fireplace area, outdoor whirlpool and cabanas. A second, smaller fitness center is available only to residents. The top five floors and some units on lower floors have glass walls. The >>  >> building was a 25-story existing office building in Manhattan’s Financial District that was gutted and had five stories added to the top of it. The architect of the project was C3d Architecture PLLC.

The $5 million, 12,500-square-foot restaurant Sweet constructed in the Setai New York is called SHO Shaun Hergatt and features a two-story main dining area with a view of the open kitchen, a wine tasting room with refrigerated glass wine towers, a 30-foot end-grain Brazilian walnut bar, terrazzo floors, Thai silk wall panels, infinity edge fountains, mother-of-pearl table tops, back-lit lattice screens, bronze and crystal accents and custom lighting throughout. The architect was Robert D. Henry Architects of New York.

Another restaurant on which Sweet Construction worked was the $2.1 million Rocco’s on 22nd Street in Manhattan. The restaurant was completed as a backdrop for a reality television show. The original plans called for a cosmetic restoration and upgrade to an existing space. In five weeks, an entire custom millwork package featuring elm burl veneer panels with bronze accent trim, new stone flooring, HVAC system, electric service and custom lighting and dimming were fabricated and installed.

Landmarks Restored

Other Sweet Construction projects have involved retail and restoration. “We built the $4.5 million Heartland Brewery on the ground floor of the Empire State building, and we did a $35 million restoration to the Biltmore Theater on 46th Street in the middle of Times Square,” Alessio notes. Restoration and rehabilitation of the landmark Biltmore Theater on West 47th Street in Manhattan was for the Manhattan Theatre Club. The architect was the Polshek Partnership.

The theater had been empty since the early 1980s, and large sections of its interior had been damaged by fire, water, neglect and exposure to the elements. To create a cellar level to the theater, 17 feet of bedrock was excavated to obtain the required headroom. This level houses the orchestra pit in addition to storage and wardrobe facilities and back-of-house offices.

Floors at both the orchestra and balcony floors and seating areas are angled and stepped to allow for better viewing angles. The seating was reconfigured to allow more legroom for theatergoers. New vertical transportation systems include an elevator and a handicapped lift. The existing main stair was restored and the decorative plaster ceiling and >>  >> dome were refurbished.

The Biltmore received a new rooftop air conditioning and heating plant. Con Edison brought a new 6,000-amp electric service along with a new 3-inch steam service and pressure-reducing station into the building. To restore the landmark to its original splendor, the theater was finished with gold leafing and stonework that was either refurbished or added. Custom plaster moldings replicate the original design.

The Manhattan Theater Club re­opened the theater in October 2003. The restored interior of the 60-foot high auditorium seats 650 patrons over three levels and has two lounges for intermission. The orchestra level features the stage, dressing rooms and the largest section of seating.

Upper floors include the mezzanine level, balcony, and technical level; the first two include additional seating, bathrooms and lounges. Other behind-the-scenes areas include sound and dimmer rooms, a projection room and technical offices. The project won the New York Landmarks Conservancy Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award and the 2004 Reconstruction Award from Building Design and Construction magazine.

Bergdorf Goodman

The company also restored the New Amsterdam Theater in Times Square, and has been construction manager and general contractor on many jobs in the men’s and women’s stores of Bergdorf Goodman at 754 Fifth Avenue since 1992 for Neiman Marcus. Sweet has built out individual designer boutiques, created salon and spa spaces or restored whole floors of the store in phases. This latest project involved upgrading and modernizing the main floor, plaza level and second-floor women’s shoes department at the store.

The project required creation of an additional sales floor in the store’s basement, placement of new cooling tower and air conditioner units on the roof and installation of new passenger and freight elevators – all while the store stayed open. The architects were Bridges and Lavin for the structural and mechanical, electrical and plumbing modernization; Barteluce for the main floor and second floor women’s shoes department; and Yabu Pushelberg for the plaza level.

Sweet Construction also built a $1.05 million restaurant on the store’s seventh floor that looks out over Central Park. The restaurant offers a full-service kitchen, two dining rooms that seat 80 guests and a separate bar area with niche seating. Geometric, raised panel wall details were faux-painted, and adjacent walls feature hand-painted silk wall coverings. Decorative ceiling shapes reflect the custom wood flooring design elements. A secure entryway allows for independent, after-hours operation.

“We did some work for Coca-Cola in New York,” Alessio adds. This involved functioning as construction manager 

on the restoration of the limestone and cast bronze 1930s façade of the Coca-Cola Building at 711 Fifth Avenue in Manhattan. Performed in phases, the work required the craftsmanship of highly specialized artisans from throughout the United States.

The architect was Perkins Eastman Architects, and the project won a Merit Award for exteriors from the American Institute of Architects and the New York State Association of Architects.

Airport Work

Sweet Construction is building a food court at LaGuardia Airport along with retail and concourse spaces and two Figs Restaurants. Designed by Niemitz for client Boston Concessions, the architect of record for Figs Restaurant was Metzger/Metzger. Sweet functioned as construction manager for the two locations at LaGuardia Airport – whose construction cost totaled $2.8 million – and worked with the Port Authority.

The larger restaurant features a 45-foot-long bar and a 10-square-foot wood-burning stove and pizza oven. Finishes include pre-cast concrete with a polished finish, stained lacquer wood panels and Chinese slate. Both sites of Figs Restaurants at LaGuardia Airport are heavily trafficked – one is on the concourse level and the second is closer to the gates. Each is served by an individual kitchen area and features a bar area with separate dining. The company also built a terminal at JFK Airport in the 1990s for Pakistani and Nigerian Airways.

Institutional Work

High among Sweet’s institutional projects was its construction of the largest Berlitz Language School facility in 

the world at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan. Sweet created a modern prototype design for the company’s corporate locations. Because of the school’s function teaching language and offering cross-cultural training, classrooms were constructed for sound attenuation and wired for individual use by students. The architect was Metzger/Metzger.

For New York Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn – among the 200 largest hospitals in the United States – Sweet Construction built an eight-story, 145-bed addition that included a new emergency room, pharmacy and library facilities. It also has worked on a 25,000-square-foot ambulatory surgery department and five satellite family health centers for the teaching facility. The architect was RKT & B.

Sweet Construction has had a longstanding relationship with Huntington Hospital, Huntington, N.Y., which is a non-profit member of the North Shore – Long Island Jewish Health System. The company has upgraded the hospital’s entire first and third floors, built an additional floor above the roof and renovated the computed tomography scan section. The architect was Peter Halfon.

Original 1930s architectural details were restored as part of a renovation of the Mary Louis Academy’s auditorium in Jamaica Estates, N.Y. As part of the project, a state-of-the-art theatrical lighting and sound system with custom dimming and wireless capabilities was installed. New electrical service was included throughout the main building to handle a new HVAC system. The project – on which the architect was BJLJ Engineers – was performed during summer recess.

Commercial Projects

For Discovery Communications at 641 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan, Sweet Construction installed six floors of offices in a phased re-stacking project that featured custom millwork throughout and a conference room with the latest audio/visual facilities. The mainreception area has both fixed and moving ash and glass panels so it can open up to accommodate large groups that might overflow the conference room. Architect Metzger/Metzger Associates designed the reception area with private, adjacent workspaces for visitors.

A two-story yoga room for use by staff and visitors was installed by Sweet Construction for Rodale Inc. at 733 Third Avenue in Manhattan to incorporate Rodale’s health and wellness image into the design. The $12.5 million, five-floor restacking featured extensive use of natural lighting and environmentally friendly finishes. The architecture firm was Suben|Dougherty Partnership.

A 450-gallon saltwater fish tank was built into a wall between reception and the conference room for Telecom Online at 666 Third Avenue in Manhattan. The conference room has its audio/visual system centrally controlled through the conference table. The wood flooring and millwork of private office interiors were designed according to the choices of the occupant. Anigre wall panels were utilized throughout the space designed by DPM Architecture.

For Affinity Health Plan in the Bronx, Sweet Construction served as general contractor in converting a retail site into 85,000 square feet of office space on a fast-track schedule in 120 days. A custom metal/glass office-front system was built, and ceiling heights of more than 20 feet were provided with skylights. The company also poured a new concrete slab through to level floor and encased plumbing and electrical trenching. The architect was The Phillips Group.

Variety of Work

Since its start, Sweet Construction has steadily expanded into interior renovation, new construction, structural alteration and the rehabilitation and retrofit of existing structures, including landmarks. “We have built our reputation by performing quality work for competitive prices, and we pride ourselves on our ability to complete projects on time and within budget,” the company says.

It has responded to changes in the marketplace and built a diverse list of clients. “In an industry where other firms continue to come and go, Sweet Construction’s longevity is a testament to both our capability and commitment to meeting the needs of our clients,” the company says.

During its 96-year history, Sweet Construction has emphasized the importance of customer service. It has developed and implemented hands-on attention to customers that has kept them returning to Sweet for their construction and renovation needs for decades. A senior manager always is part of a Sweet Construction project team.

“Our interest is to combine efficiency and economy with quality construction within an established time frame, resulting in successful project delivery and a strong client relationship,” the company says. “The exceptional combination of quality and experience enables us to offer the magnitude of service often associated with the mega-corporation while maintaining the personal, hands-on approach and overall intimacy that other firms are unable to provide.”

Sweet’s staff includes engineers, architects, accountants and IT professionals who can offer computerized estimating, scheduling and project management programs at every stage of construction. These accurate, real-time reports can be generated to support critical decisions and advance projects. “The distinctive abilities of each and every team member enable us to provide a full range of services dedicated to achieving client objectives,” the company states.