NYC school builders move to 1 Court Square in Long Island City
A city agency responsible for building new public schools and renovating existing facilities is moving on up to fresh digs of its own in Long Island City.
The School Construction Authority signed a 20-year lease to relocate headquarters from a 5-story building at 30-30 Thomson Avenue at the bustling western tip of Queens to the nearby 50-story One Court Square — formerly called the Citigroup building, and once eye-balled to anchor Amazon headquarters.
SCA’s move of its 1,100 employees and office ops is expected to start in November and be done the next March, the agency said in documents asking for work bids from moving companies.
“Our lease at 30-30 Thomson was up and we had outgrown the space so we needed to move. We’ve been at 30-30 since our inception in 1989,” said SCA spokesman Kevin Ortiz.
In a notice to bidders, SCA advised that: “Interested firms shall provide all labor, materials, equipment, and expertise, as required, to complete a move of the following efficiently and effectively: Approximately 1,100 employees, each equipped with monitors and prepackaged boxes, will be relocated.
Additionally, various items such as surface hubs, plotters, copiers, printers, tower PCs, and boxed department files will need to be transferred.”
“The move is anticipated to commence in late-November 2023, with completion targeted around March 31, 2024. All boxes and materials necessary for packing and moving will be supplied by the selected firm. While the scope involves no furniture relocation, expertise in handling large fixtures is expected.”
The One Court Square skyscraper was once called Citicorp Tower.
And though Amazon was expected to occupy most of One Court Square to anchor its Northeast headquarters, political opposition killed the plan.
SCA’s 20-year lease at its new home is expected to span 11 floors. The agency did not disclose the annual rent.
The agency also will be building a new 547-seat elementary school nearby in Court Square at 23-10 43rd Ave. The Court Square neighborhood in Long Island City near the East River is one of the fastest growing in the city.
Created by the state Legislature in December 1988, SCA has overseen the design and building of 280,000 of new school seats — and repaired and upgraded more than 1,800 schools in over 1,400 school buildings. It also has supervised 12,500 capital improvement projects.
