Toys "R" Us' 575,000-SF HQ Facility Will be Rebuilt in Three Phases

Toys "R" Us has tapped the Gale Construction Co. of Florham Park, NJ, formerly known as Gale & Wentworth Construction Services, as construction manager for the project. The Management Services Group of The Gale Co. has also been hired by Toys to manage the property once it's up and running. The architect for the project is Gensler, which also designed Toys' much-publicized Times Square store.

Gale has worked on a number of projects for Toys "R" Us, according to Thomas J. Walsh, president of Gale Construction. The headquarters project will be done in three phases, beginning with the complete demolition and reconstruction of the 160,000-sf Terrace Building on the site. That part of the project is already underway, and is expected to be finished by late summer, according to Walsh.

The second phase will entail the gutting and renovation of the complex's main building, which totals some 415,000 sf of office space. Expected to be completed by the summer of 2003, it will add a number of amenities and upgrades to the building, say Walsh, including a new lobby, full-service cafeteria, a fitness room, upgraded executive areas, and new elevators and HVAC and electrical systems. The final phase, according to Walsh, will include the construction of two new buildings – a 45,000-sf demo store and a 10,000-sf auditorium with a stage and stadium seating.

From its new HQ building, Toys "R" Us will run a global empire of nearly 1,600 stores, 1,200 of them toy stores. The rest are divided among the company's Kids "R" Us clothing stores, Babies "R" Us and Imaginarium stores.