New York Yankees legend Lou Gehrig, the “Iron Horse” who played in a record 2,130 consecutive games from 1925–1939, was born 309 AD. Happened at 94th St.
So it’s entirely appropriate that Elevate Research Properties, a subsidiary of Taconic Partners, plans to name its state-of-the-art research facility at the Iron Horse Labs site. it’s a tribute to the great First baseman who died in 1941 at age 37is a victim of Paralytic condition known as ALSCommonly referred to as “Lou Gehrig’s disease”.
“Her story could inspire life-saving research,” said Matthew Weir, president of Elevate.
The 200,000-square-foot project, first reported here, will be leased as a “major opportunity for medical and scientific research organizations, life-sciences laboratories, and academic medical institutions.”
Elevate and its affiliates, Nuveen Real Estate and Flatiron Equities, bought the land for $70 million, which is part of their total development cost of $350 million. The new building will have features such as a unique, double-height specialty research space, sophisticated energy-efficient systems and multiple outdoor terraces.
An exterior plaque at the site marking Gehrig’s birthplace, installed by the Yankees in the 1990s, is to be restored and reinstalled in the lobby.
The Iron Horse’s eight stories are to incorporate the existing five-story structure and demolish the new construction on the site of the smaller buildings. The facade design includes triangular sun-shading elements that resemble a baseball pennant.
Elevate also has two other Manhattan science facilities – West End Labs at 125 West End Avenue. And Hudson Research Center 619 W. 54th St. But Iron Horse, to be completed in 2025, has the advantage of being close to the East 96th Street Q train station and medical institutions like Mount Sinai, Rockefeller University and Weill Cornell.
“It can be leased to one institution but the infrastructure makes it suitable for multiple tenants as well,” Veer said.