New York Construction Report staff writer
Construction has begun on critical renovations to Building C at the Hunts Point Cooperative Market (HPCM), part of a broader $1 billion effort to revitalize the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center, the largest of its kind in the country.
Leading the building renovations will be McKissack & McKissack, a minority-owned design and construction company that led the structural analysis of the existing building facade and new design. NYCEDC selected McKissack to provide construction management services for several projects within the Hunts Point Food Distribution center.
“McKissack is proud to be the construction manager of the $18 Million Hunts Point Cooperative Market Building C renovation project for New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC),” the company wrote on social media. “The project officially broke ground on July 22. Nandinee Phookan Architects PC provided the architectural services for this project.”
Work on Building C is expected to be completed by 2026.
The $18 million project—funded in part by a $12 million allocation from New York City Councilmember Rafael Salamanca Jr.—will replace the building’s deteriorating façade with sealed, energy-efficient insulated metal panels. The upgrade aims to improve air quality and energy performance without interrupting operations at the market, which distributes more than 1.1 billion pounds of meat and meat products annually and supplies roughly 35 percent of New York City’s protein.
Built in 1972, Building C is one of the market’s original structures and has long suffered from degraded masonry and aging infrastructure. The renovations are expected to improve sustainability and durability while supporting thousands of jobs in the Bronx.
Salamanca, who grew up in the community, has allocated over $31 million in capital funding to the market, calling the investment essential to maintaining its role as a national leader in food distribution.
“The renovation of Building C at the Hunts Point Cooperative Market is a critical step forward for environmental justice, job creation, and long-term resiliency in the Bronx,” said Bronx Borough President Vanessa L. Gibson. “This project reflects our shared commitment to modernizing one of the most essential food hubs in the nation while investing in healthier infrastructure for a community that has carried far too many burdens for far too long. I want to thank Councilmember Salamanca, NYCEDC, and all of our partners for helping move The Bronx forward.”
The Hunts Point Coop Market distributes more than 1.1 billion pounds of meat and meat products to New York City and the Tri-State area. The market employs around 2,400 New Yorkers and supplies 35 percent of the city’s protein source.
Built in 1972, the Hunts Point Coop Market started as a 40-acre facility with six buildings but over time expanded to a 60-acre facility with seven buildings. Building C, one of the original six buildings, has been affected by deteriorating infrastructure – including degraded masonry—which worsens air quality in an area that has long struggled with poor air quality.
The Hunts Point Coop Market Building C renovations will also build on the ‘Hunts Point Forward’ plan in 2022, a comprehensive plan to create economic opportunity and improve quality of life for New Yorkers in the Hunts Point neighborhood of the South Bronx.
