SurroundArt (http://www.brooklynnavyyard.org/).
The firm will lease a new, 89,000 square foot building now in construction near the Perry Avenue gate, as well as the immediately adjacent, historic 7,000 square foot Paymaster Building
at the Navy Yard. The new building is being developed by the Brooklyn Navy Yard Development Corporation, and will address a critical need for storage, conservation, and restoration space
and related services for museums, galleries, foundations, and collectors in New York and beyond.
SurroundArt already occupies 71,000 square feet elsewhere in the Navy Yard, bringing the company's total leasing commitment to 167,000 square feet. SurroundArt provides a wide range of
services including secure, temperature-controlled storage, crating, packing, transportation, fabrication, exhibition design, and installation. In the new Museum Resource Center,
SurroundArt will provide some services directly and anticipates 5-10 subtenants to provide other services.
"SurroundArt's commitment to expanding in New York City at the Brooklyn Navy Yard exemplifies the diversity of New York's industrial landscape," said Deputy Mayor Patricia E. Harris.
"This project reinforces the role of cultural activity as a potent force in New York City's urban revitalization, and embodies the Mayor's five borough economic development strategy and
PlaNYC goals of creating a more sustainable City."
"Our vision to create the first Museum Resource Center for New York becomes a reality with today's announcement," said SurroundArt CEO Michael Murrray, a native of Brooklyn. "Our clients
have felt the pinch as more and more industrial space in Manhattan has been converted to residential and commercial. With three buildings and 167,000 square feet at the Navy Yard,
SurroundArt will become a much needed Fine Arts Campus, providing the space and services that the arts community requires to thrive. What's more, the sustainable, green building
initiatives are very much in line with the artistic and cultural spirit of our company and clients."
"The SurroundArt expansion is powerful affirmation of the Mayor's commitment to expanding industrial activity in the Navy Yard and our confidence in putting up new multi-story industrial
buildings on spec," said Brooklyn Navy Yard President and CEO Andrew Kimball. "Whether it is film, food, furniture or fine arts, the Navy Yard is aggressively tapping into industrial
growth sectors in New York City, and particularly Brooklyn, that capitalize on the creative talents of the local workforce."
The Navy Yard is already home to a growing base of creative companies, including Steiner Studios, the nation's largest production facility outside of Hollywood. SurroundArt has made a
significant commitment to create new jobs and opportunities. The new lease agreements are expected to create more than 100 new jobs in addition to the 50 already employed by SurroundArt.
The new building, already 50 percent complete, will become the nation's first multi-story, multi-tenanted Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver Industrial Building,
as certified by the U.S. Green Building Council.The building will incorporate several sustainable/green design elements, including a wind turbine that will supply part of the building's
energy, a high-performance thermal envelope, waterless urinals, a storm-water harvesting system, a natural ventilation system and recycled materials. The ground floor of the new building
offers 36,300 square feet with 28-foot ceilings, two loading docks, and two additional loading areas. The two upper floors offer 25,300 square feet with 18-foot ceilings, a pull-in
loading area, and two 8,000-pound capacity elevators.
"In addition to green industrial buildings, the Navy Yard has undertaken a series of other sustainability initiatives," Kimball added. "Our goal is to be a national model for sustainable
industrial parks, a good neighbor to the surrounding communities, and a beacon for the increasing number of companies to seek to green their businesses."
SurroundArt employees are among the most trusted art handlers in the world, including Senior Partner Kele McComsey, an internationally renowned expert who is responsible for the design,
operation, and ongoing improvement of all SurroundArt's products and services. SurroundArt clients include some of the largest and most respected institutions in NYC and the world.
Notable projects have included Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs exhibit for Arts and Exhibitions International; and Faberg: Treasures from the Kremlin, for the Bellagio
Gallery of Fine Art, Las Vegas.
About SurroundArt
SurroundArt is a full-service museum resource company with offices, workrooms, and warehouses in New York and Washington, DC. Founded in 1998, the company supports the international fine
arts community by providing a wide array of services, including temperature-controlled and secure storage, crating, packing, transportation, fabrication, design, and art handling. To
accommodate its growth, SurroundArt is developing a unique and expansive "fine arts campus" at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, with more than 165,000 square feet of space under management.Staffed
by museum-trained professionals, who are educated in fine arts and passionate about their craft, SurroundArt has become a trusted resource to many of the largest and most respected
museums, foundations and private collectors in the world. More information can be found at