800 Westchester Avenue

The 800 Westchester Avenue complex is a postmodern Class A office building located in Rye Brook, New York.[1][2] It was designed by the architectural firm of Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, LLC to serve as the corporate headquarters for General Foods.[9][10]

800 Westchester Avenue
Lake view of the building in 2008
Former namesGeneral Foods Corporate Headquarters[1]
General information
TypeCorporate Offices
Architectural stylePostmodern[2]
LocationRye Brook, New York
Address800 Westchester Avenue
Rye Brook, NY 10573
Coordinates41.0066°N 73.6906°W / 41.0066; -73.6906
Construction started1979[3]
Completed1983[1]
InauguratedJuly 1983[4]
OwnerRPW Group [5]
Technical details
Floor count7 (8 including 1,125 space underground parking facility)
Floor area560,000[6]
Design and construction
Architect(s)Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, LLC[7][8]

Described as an "aluminum business palace" and an "Aztec temple", it was also notable for being the subject of the largest real estate transaction of 2004.[5][6][11]

History
Aerial view, 1991

Originally conceived in 1979 by the General Foods company as a symbol of the firm's "aggressive consumer products packaging and marketing", it is known for its distinctive glass and white aluminum exterior.[3][10] Upon its opening in 1983, General Foods relocated 2,000 headquarters staff from nearby White Plains.[3] However, in 1985, General Foods was acquired by Philip Morris, which proceeded to lay off most of that location's employees in 1987. Then in 1989 General Foods merged with Kraft Foods Inc. to form "Kraft General Foods" where it remained in its White Plains, NY Headquarters until the mid 1990s when it moved to Northfield Illinois. [11][12]

After a series of subsequent mergers and restructurings, Altria, the successor to Philip Morris, sold off its remaining interest in the facility in 2004 to the IJNR Group headed by Robert Weisz, moving the remaining 1,000 employees to other facilities except for 6 essential employees who remain employed with RPW in Westchester County.[2][13] At a cost of 40 million dollars, this was the largest real estate transaction in Westchester County in 2004 and did not include the 70 million dollar cost of renovating and subdividing the building.[5][6]

Facilities

The complex is noted for its extensive corporate amenities, and retains such features as a hair salon, barber shop, television studio, fitness center and conference facilities. These features were continued even after the sale and renovation of the complex as a value-added benefit to the significant number of new tenants who occupy spaces ranging from 1,500 to 120,000 square feet (11,000 m2).[6]

Also on-site is the related 760 Westchester Avenue facility that has been converted into a disaster recovery/adjunct location.[5] It is currently leased by CBLPath Inc for an anatomic pathology services lab.

Currently, it is owned by the RPW Group and managed by Cushman and Wakefield.[5]

In Media

The complex has also been featured in USA Network Drama Mr Robot Season 1 Episode 5 as the headquarters of the fictional company Steel Mountain a data security company. Both interior and exterior scenes were shot on location including data center and the executive cafeteria.

References
  1. "800 Westchester Avenue". RPW Group. Archived from the original on 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  2. Brenner, Else (2004-01-25). "In the Region/Westchester; As the Office Market Stirs, a Major Departure". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  3. Feron, James (1979-08-02). "General Foods Moving To Rye, but Retaining White Plains Building". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  4. Goldberger, Paul (1983-07-03). "Architecture View; A Corporate Equivalent of the Classical Villa". The New York Times. pp. 2–19. Retrieved 2010-06-17.
  5. "800 Westchester Ave is bought in county's largest deal". Real Estate Weekly. Hagedorn. 2004-10-27. Archived from the original on 2008-09-22. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  6. Brenner, Else (February 9, 2005). "For a Huge Corporate Palace, Division Means Success". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  7. "General Foods Corporate Headquarters". Jack Curtis & Associates. 2007. Archived from the original on 7 September 2008. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  8. Dunlap, David (1998-09-16). "Commercial Real Estate; General Foods' Old Office Is Repackaged for Multiple Tenants". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  9. "Architects of Ireland - Kevin Roche (Born 1922)". Archiseek. 2008. Archived from the original on 2005-03-20. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  10. Lueck, Thomas. (1990-05-20). "IN THE NATION;Corporations Demand Flexibility in New Offices". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  11. Moore, Thomas (1987-12-21). "GOODBYE, CORPORATE STAFF All kinds of companies are saving money and increasing efficiency by clearing out the crowd at headquarters. Watch out, lawyers, futurists, and other deep thinkers". Time Warner. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  12. Associated Press (1987-08-20). "GENERAL FOODS STAFF STUNNED". Boston.com. Boston Globe. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
  13. Weisz, Robert (2006-06-19). "Developers Find Big Opportunity in Small Space Users". Westchester County Business Journal. Westfair Business Publications. Retrieved 2012-03-21.
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