Connell Co. begins demolition of Building 300 at the Park in Berkeley Heights

The Connell Co. on Tuesday said demolition work has begun in Building 300 at the Park — a 185-acre luxury campus that brings a hospitality-centric solution to the traditional shopping, dining and work environments in Berkeley Heights. The renovation of Building 300 will deliver an enhanced lobby, elevated dining options and an array of dynamic communal spaces all designed to enhance social and work experiences on the campus. “Today’s business decision-makers want to encourage their employees to return to the office,” Shane Connell, executive vice president at the Connell Co., said. “In fact, studies show that one of the primary reasons why many professionals choose to work from the office is to socialize with their coworkers. At the Park, we have intentionally designed every space to help our tenants rebuild social capital among their employees. The demolition scope and subsequent renovation of Building 300 will lead to the creation of modern social spaces that support the Park’s hospitality-driven approach to elevating the traditional workplace environment. We look forward to unveiling and activating these spaces in the fall of 2023.” Buildings 300 and 400 are two Class A office buildings totaling 550,000 square feet that are located along District Drive, a forthcoming pedestrian corridor adjacent to the District at the Park and will include the construction of five new buildings bringing 328 residential units and 190,000 square feet of entertainment, dining and retail offerings to the Park. These attractions include a brewery, covered garden and event space, a Mexican restaurant, an Italian steakhouse and duckpin bowling nightlife entertainment concept. Building 300’s existing first-floor lobby and second-floor cafeteria, which served the tenants of both Buildings 300 and 400, are now undergoing demolition. The former cafeteria offered a barista service, sandwich station, grill station, salad bar and a hot/cold meal grab-and-go. The newly designed cafe will be transformed into a fully public and accessible restaurant and bakery, which will include a test kitchen, espresso bar, cocktail lounge and game room. All of the spaces will be available for booking events, such as meetings, team building and social celebrations. Additionally, the new test kitchen’s unique design allows for cooking classes and celebrity chef residencies or pop-ups. The original lobby and cafeteria’s traditional corporate aesthetic will be replaced with an elevated modern design by Mancini Duffy and David M. Sullivan. The Connell Co. has positioned the Park to help the campus’s business community attract top-tier talent with services and amenities unavailable anywhere else in the Northeast. The campus is already a popular regional destination that includes the offices of marquee companies such as L’Oreal, Fiserv, Bristol Myers Squibb, HP and Samsung, as well as a 176-room Embassy Suites hotel, Grain & Cane Restaurant, Starbucks, Lifetime Fitness, outdoor walking and jogging trails, and Round Table Studios — a 40,000-square-foot social club and coworking space that offers a curated selection of thoughtfully designed workstations, private offices and community spaces.