8B — April 25 - May 15, 2014 — Owners, Developers & Managers — M id A tlantic
Real Estate Journal
www.marejournal.com
R estoration /R enovation Vail Mansion originally constructed in 1917
Hollister Construction Services begins work on Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen in Morristown P ARSIPPANY, nj — Hollister Construction Services (Hollister) , a
sion for the Jockey Hollow Bar & Kitchen. The landmarked building, loved by Morristown residents for generations, was originally constructed in 1917. It was commissioned by Theo- dore N. Vail, the first president of AT&T who wanted an Ital- ian Renaissance Palazzo-style mansion to house his extensive collection of art and family inventions. Later the building also served for a time as the Morristown town hall and po- lice headquarters. “It’s a real challenge to main- tain the integrity of the his- toric environment at the same time that we are charged with
creating a modern restaurant facility,” said Christopher Johnson , founder and CEO of Hollister. “The plans for the physical space perfectly com- plement Chris Cannon’s bold concept and the transformation of this historic building will make it a great place for the Morristown community to enjoy fine dining or to just hang out.” “I can’t imagine a more ideal location for a restaurant,” said Chris Cannon. “Physically, it’s one of the most beautiful spaces around. There’s no way I could ever find anything remotely like this in New York City, or even in New Jersey.” Jockey Hollow Bar &Kitchen will occupy a three-story space and offer a menu of contem- porary American and Italian- inspired dishes. The exciting four-part concept includes The Oyster & Wine Bar at Jockey Hollow (with a casual, contem- porary menu); the Vail Bar, a glam 1920’s-style cocktail lounge; The Rathskeller, a private event space; and The Dining Room at Jockey Hollow on the Mansion’s second floor, with a regional, sustainable farm-to-table focus. The challenges for Hollis- ter, who is working closely on the project with Jarmel Kizel Architects and Engineers, in- cludes substantially transform- ing the historic building into an appropriate space to real- ize Cannon’s vision of Jockey Hollow as both a culinary and cultural hub for North and Central Jersey. The firm has just 20 weeks to work their magic on a total of 18,000 sq. ft. so the operation can open as scheduled in late spring. Plans for the space include incorporating found historic relics into the décor while at the same time adding modern, yet unseen touches such as ra- diant floor heating to provide a well-controlled climate despite the huge windows overlooking a symmetrical reflective pool. In recent months Hollister’s major food industry projects included Pinnacle Foods corpo- rate office, which encompassed 130,000 s/f, including 30,000 s/f of test kitchens and an atrium with interior hearth fireplace; Damascus Bakery, a 72,000 s/f state-of-the-art commercial baking facility and distribution hub that required building a flour silo capable of being fed by tanker trucks; and Newark Farmer’s Market, a massive 200,000s/f food warehouse and distribution depot. n
full-service construction man- ager specializing in corporate, educational, healthcare, indus- trial, retail and residential con- struction, has readily accepted the challenge of transforming a century-old historic mansion into a contemporary sophisti- cated dining and entertainment destination. The construction project en- tails renovating Morristown’s beloved Vail Mansion to create a space where acclaimed New York chef/restaurateur Chris Cannon could realize his vi-
Vail Mansion
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