Practice

A unique redevelopment build revitalizes a legendary rococo-style theatre — creating a must-visit cultural arts experience in Brooklyn.

The Paramount Theatre is a former movie palace located at Flatbush and DeKalb Avenues in downtown Brooklyn. Originally opened in 1928, the building has been owned by Long Island University (LIU) since 1962.

Schimenti and Live Nation intend to revive the 90-year-old venue by retaining and restoring many of its existing features while modernizing the space to meet today’s standards. While the theatre’s main focus will be revitalizing its legendary music roots, when completed, it will also host a mix of family entertainment, comedy, sporting events, special events, and private programs for LIU students.

The 72,000 SF redevelopment and 3,000-person capacity venue will be able to house a flexible seating configuration that will accommodate primarily general admission-style setups, with the opportunity also to do seated floor events. The new venue is slated to open to the public in 2024.

Schimenti is proud to announce that we have been ranked the #1 Retail Contractor among Engineering News-Record New York Top Contractors by Market Sector in 2022.

Schimenti has specialized in complete ground-up developments and store build-outs, structural renovations, and general interior remodeling for various well-known retail brands for 25 years.

Our commitment to excellence, communication, and timeliness, has created a relationship-driven brand that provides the highest quality of service to the retail and construction industries. We are humbled to be named this year’s #1 Top Retail Contractor in New York.

By the end of 2021, the construction industry had 430,000 unfilled positions—and the situation isn’t looking any better for the foreseeable future. Over the next two years, construction is projected to face an additional 1 million openings. And while this critical shortage of skilled workers predated COVID-19, the global pandemic has introduced problems that have only exacerbated the situation, including supply-chain disruptions and scheduling delays.

Unlike the pandemic, which has sparked widespread efforts to find and implement solutions, however, the worker shortage in many ways remains an underappreciated crisis with the potential to stall the economic boom following the end of COVID-19—even as construction companies are poised to benefit from the $1.2-trillion infrastructure bill signed into law this past November. The question remains: How can the construction industry fulfill demand and provide quality work without quality workers?

Construction Executive talked to leaders across the industry about the challenges of the talent shortage and how construction can evolve to overcome them.