SurroundArt to Establish Massive New Museum Resource Center at Brooklyn Navy Yard to Support New York Arts Community; Company Signs 20-Year Lease in t

Brooklyn, NY (PRWEB) November 14, 2007 -- SurroundArt (http://www.surroundart.com/), a leading provider of fine arts services, today announced plans to create a first-of-its-kind Museum Resource Center at the Brooklyn Navy Yard (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 Fabergé: 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 www.surroundart.com.

About the Brooklyn Navy Yard

BNYDC is the not-for-profit corporation that manages the Brooklyn Navy Yard on behalf of its owner, the City of New York. BNYDC leases space in the Yard, promotes local economic development, develops underutilized areas and oversees modernization of the Yard's infrastructure. The corporation's board of directors is comprised of leaders of Brooklyn's economic development community. It is chaired by Alan H. Fishman, Chairman of Meridian Capital Group, LLC.

Established in 1801, the Brooklyn Navy Yard served as one of America's preeminent military facilities for more than 150 years. Closed by the federal government in 1966, the City of New York subsequently assumed ownership and re-opened the Yard as an industrial park. The Navy Yard now operates at 99 percent capacity and has for the last five years. The Navy Yard currently houses more than 230 private-sector firms that provide approximately 5,000 jobs, half of which are held by Brooklyn residents.

In October 2006, Mayor Bloomberg announced a seven-building expansion that is expected to generate up to 800 new jobs. This expansion - the largest at the historic Navy Yard since World War II - will create more than 500,000 square feet of additional industrial capacity. In addition, the plan includes a 60,000-square-foot supermarket on the perimeter of the Navy Yard to serve the needs of surrounding communities. In February 2007, the Mayor and Steiner Studios announced a 289,000 square foot expansion of Steiner Studios that will create 550 jobs. In May 2007, The Mayor and B&H Photo-Video announcement that it will build a new 400,000 to 600,000 square foot building in the Yard adding over 300 new jobs. Cumulatively, these projects will add over 1.3 million square feet of new space in the Navy Yard and over 1,500 jobs.

Contact Information:

SurroundArt

Greg Abel - (410) 466-2210

Brooklyn Navy Yard

Lee Silberstein - (212) 889-0808

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