Englewood Construction, one of the country’s leading commercial construction firms, announces its retail group has completed the build-out of the new 40,000-square-foot American Girl Place store at 75 Rockefeller Plaza in New York City. American Girl moved to the new store in November from its previous Manhattan location at 609 Fifth Avenue.

“It’s been nearly a decade since we completed our first project with American Girl – which happened to be the relocation of its original Chicago flagship store to its current Michigan Avenue address – and in the years since we’ve built a great relationship with the brand that has spanned multiple new locations across the country, as well as full-store remodels, renovation projects and even facility maintenance work,” said William Di Santo, president of Lemont, Ill.-based Englewood. “We couldn’t be prouder to continue our partnership with this long-term client by helping create yet another iconic American Girl Place store and bring an innovative retail experience to one of the best-known shopping districts in the country.”

The new 75 Rockefeller Plaza store, the 12^th location Englewood has built out for American Girl, was designed by Cincinnati-based architecture firm FRCH Design Worldwide. It spans two floors, including a street-level storefront at 75 Rockefeller Plaza – a 1940s-era building with an Indiana limestone façade that is protected by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

“Englewood has managed a number of projects in landmark buildings over the years, and with that experience we know to always plan for special construction considerations even if our work does not directly involve protected features,” said Di Santo. “In the case of 75 Rockefeller Plaza, the landmark construction criteria included matching the new store’s flooring elevations to the original landmark conditions in the lobby, and also tying into the existing storefront glazing system to preserve the look of the protected façade.”

Also adding to the complexity of the American Girl project was the new store’s location in one of the busiest areas of New York City. “We’re well-versed working in urban areas thanks to our extensive portfolio of work along Chicago’s Magnificent Mile as well as in Manhattan,” said Di Santo. “It’s important for the contractor on a project like this to know how such a high-profile location impacts everything from delivery of equipment and materials to timing work around factors such as pedestrian foot traffic and the schedules of other tenants in a vertical, multi-use property.”

Inside the new store, Englewood worked with American Girl to incorporate popular features from other locations, plus a number of new elements to evolve the unique experiential retail environment for which the brand is known. Prototype elements debuting at the New York location include an interactive Create Your Own Design Studio and an expanded American Girl Salon experience offering services for both dolls and customers. The store also includes familiar favorites such as the American Girl Café, which is enhanced with private dining rooms for birthday parties and special events.

“Because we are such a long-standing construction partner for American Girl, we give the client great peace of mind as we thoroughly understand the brand’s standards and priorities – always delivering a smooth construction process and high-quality product,” said Di Santo. “At the same time, the brand has confidence that we can not only execute prototype features, but also capture best practices for building out those elements in case the brand decides to roll them out at other locations in the future.”

In addition to building out the storefront and in-store elements and installing interior finishes, Englewood also completed infrastructure work such as putting in new black iron to accommodate the café’s kitchen exhaust system, adding new electrical service, and connecting the store’s two levels with new elevators and escalators within the space.

About Englewood Construction:

Englewood Construction, Inc. is a commercial general contractor specializing in the construction of retail, restaurant, shopping center, hotel, education and office/industrial projects throughout the United States. Established in 2001, Englewood Construction’s executive team has more than 30 years of commercial construction experience, including executive positions with R.A.S. Builders and Capitol Construction. Since its founding, Englewood Construction has managed over 500 projects in 36 states and amassed a national qualified vendor base exceeding 20,000 subcontractors and suppliers. For more information on the company, visit www.eci.build, and to learn the latest insights and tips on solving commercial construction issues visit the company’s award-winning blog at www.hardhatchat.com.

Lemont, Ill.-based Englewood Construction has completed the build-out of the new American Girl Place New York at 75 Rockefeller Plaza. Members of the Englewood team who attended the grand opening benefit party for the new flagship store included (left to right): Chuck Taylor, director of operations; Andy Achino, project engineer, facilities division; David Arnolde, director of construction and project manager; Ira Stroud, project superintendent; Corey Achino, project manager, facilities division; and William Di Santo, president. The Nov. 10 event benefitted the New York Public Library.