For more than four decades the Boyce Thomson Center typified urban blight, accumulating graffiti at the corner of 1086 North Broadway in Yonkers. Following a $35 million project by Simone Development, the 85,000-square-foot complex reopened on May 23 as a retail, banking, and medical hub with a celebration attended by Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano and County Executive Robert Astorino.
|
The Boyce Thomson Center before the project. - Advertisement -
|
A historic piece of local 1920s architecture, the center was in need of countless repairs and additions to accommodate tenants that include St. John’s Riverside Hospital, WESTMED, and Fortina. A two-level, 15,000-square-foot building was constructed on the building’s north end, as well as a 20,000-square-foot addition to the building’s southern end. Other tenants include The Taco Project, Westchester Gastroenterology, Juvanni Med Spa, Family Wellness Pharmacy, as well as Tomkins Mahopac Bank, Ultimate Spectacle, and PLUSHBLOW Salon.
“This building is a true showcase,” says Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano. “It shows how we can preserve history and the authentic nature of our city, and shows what we can do when we work together and are all moving in the same direction. What we are doing here is a case study in adaptive reuse, showing that with the right developer we can preserve an old building and make it viable for a new economy. It was Joe Simone and Guy Liebler who had the guts to say, ‘We can make this work.’”
County Executive Rob Astorino and ArtsWestchester CEO Janet Langsam |
County Executive Robert Astorino also pointed to Simone as the ideal developer for such a large-scale project. “This is something that everyone saw as an opportunity,” said Astorino of the Boyce Thompson Center. “Then you had to find the right person that had that vision and the dollars behind it, and that was Joe Simone, who is no stranger to Westchester.”
Several of the business are to be up and running within the next few months, as interior work is completed. Looking up at what will soon be the fourth location of popular pizza spot Fortina, Yonkers county legislator David Tubiolo noted the building’s startling change. “I remember when this [building] was empty and abandoned and there was graffiti everywhere. I am very happy with it now,” he says. “[The Center] will be bringing in new revenue and taxes, and will bring people back to Yonkers. It is really making us proud.”
