Fordham University: McShane Campus Center Renovation

Fordham University has counted on Milrose Consultants as a trusted advisor for over ten years. Milrose’s first project for the esteemed university was transforming Hughes Hall, a 120-year-old dormitory, into the new $38-million state-of-the-art Gabelli School of Business. Completed in 2012, the two-year project involved gutting the interior of the building to install a new steel structure while keeping the existing 19th century façade intact and integrating a new high-tech trading floor for equities.

Most recently, Milrose has assisted with major campus renovations and enlargements as part of the multiphase McShane Campus Center renovation project.. Currently underway, construction includes a glass-covered arcade, connecting the new 80,000-square-foot addition to a renovated McGinley Center; the Rose Hill Gym, and the Lombardi Center, which consists of a 1,500-person gym, 800-person ballroom, and a 9,500-square-foot student lounge.

Additionally, the campus center expansion project involved connecting a historic New York State landmark building that was built under the 1968 building code to a new build. This provided a unique set of challenges that called on Milrose to provide their expertise in how to bring the building up to current code requirements. For example, the integration of an old fire alarm system with a new one, across two separate structures, required working in close collaboration not only for design and installation considerations but also during the inspection process. Milrose implemented a collaborative municipal agency approach that included pre-filing meetings with the Bronx Borough Commission to lay out a comprehensive filing strategy, reviewing the design schedule as well as the construction schedule. In doing so, Milrose met vital milestones and provided guidance and transparency in a bureaucratic process, building the confidence of the client for future projects and helping to create a new revitalized destination to unite the Fordham community.