The Hampshire Companies held a grand opening at CENTRA, New Jersey’s newest business park, located at 186 Wood Avenue South in Woodbridge, NJ.
In attendance were Mayor John McCormac, more than 100 of New Jersey’s leading industry brokers and executives from Hampshire.
“When we looked at Class-A office space in the state, most of it was built in the 1980s or 1990s. We saw a unique opportunity to create one of New Jersey’s premier 21st century office buildings and create a building unlike anything in the marketplace,” said James E. Hanson, president & CEO of The Hampshire Companies.
The Hampshire Companies acquired the former Siemens building in May 2009 and broke ground in February 2010, completely transforming and redeveloping the site by taking the existing building down to the steel, rebuilding it and expanding it by approximately 10,000 s/f.
The new structure consisting of 110,000 s/f is a Class A state-of-the-art office building with floor to ceiling glass, sunken gardens, and a full amenity package including a fitness center, conference center and cafe.
Mayor McCormac praised Hampshire’s transformation of the building commenting, “It was a total remake.” He also expressed his gratitude to firm for its continued support and for investing in the township showing that the Woodbridge was a strong real estate market.
Situated on more than 19 acres, CENTRA within the heart of Metropark, offering close proximity to New Jersey Transit, The Garden State Parkway, New Jersey Turnpike, I-287 and Routes 1 and 27 and Newark International Airport. The LEED Gold certified office building is suited to global and local headquarter operations for a variety of industries.
“When the development of commercial space primarily halted across the state, Hampshire had the unique vision to act on this opportunity and deliver a 21st century office environment in what is one of the most sought after office locations in the state,” said Todd Anderson, a principal of The Hampshire Companies.
“We have seen a wide variety of interest from companies looking to secure premier, headquarters-quality space in a highly accessible location.”
Hampshire enlisted architects Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates PC (KPF) to re-design the building. KPF director and senior designer, Hugh Trumbull, said, “This gateway building sets the stage for a new corporate campus. It is also our attempt at finding a new paradigm for the suburban office experience — one which blends urbanism with the living landscape.”
Tishman Construction served as the general contractor for the project. David Simson and Jamie Drummond of Newmark Knight Frank are the exclusive leasing agents for the property.
