Google spending $2.1 billion to buy
St. John’s Terminal in Hudson Square
BY ROBERT POZARYCKI
Tech giant Google is expanding its
footprint in New York in a big way,
purchasing the St. John’s Terminal
Development for $2.1 billion.
Google plans on transforming the former
freight rail station into a 21st century,
1.7 million square foot campus in the heart
of Hudson Square — creating thousands
more high-paying tech jobs and boosting
the economy of a city working to recover
from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“New York’s energy, creativity and
world-class talent are what keep us rooted
here, and why we’re deepening our commitment
with plans to purchase St. John’s
Terminal,” said Ruth Porat, chief fi nancial
offi cer for Alphabet and Google. “We look
forward to continuing to grow along with
this remarkable, diverse city.”
Both Governor Kathy Hochul and Mayor
Bill de Blasio lauded the deal as a muchneeded
shot-in-the-arm for New York’s
economy.
“This announcement from Google is
yet another proof point that New York’s
economy is recovering and rebuilding,”
A view of the revamped St. John’s Termial, looking south along West Street.
Hochul said. “We are creating jobs, investing
in emerging industries, lifting up New
Yorkers, and together, we are writing our
comeback story.”
“The purchase of St. John’s Terminal
will ensure New York remains a global
leader in technology as well as a place that
people are excited to live and work in,” de
RENDERING VIA COOLFOX ARCHITECTS
Blasio added.
Google is purchasing the St. John’s
Terminal development from Oxford
Properties, which in recent years has been
working to redevelop the two-block site,
adjacent to Hudson River Park’s Pier 40,
into a 12-story, eco-friendly hub of modern
industry. The new campus add more
outdoor spaces and reconnects the Hudson
Square neighborhood with the Hudson
River waterfront.
The building’s standards also meet with
Google’s carbon-free goals and LEED
building standards.
“When we acquired the St. John’s Terminal
site in 2017, we saw an incredible opportunity
to rethink the modern workplace
and bring that vision to New York,” said
Dean Shapiro, head of U.S. developments
for Oxford Properties. “From day one of
our partnership on the project, it was clear
that Oxford and Google’s vision for the
future of work were fully aligned. Today
showcases our deeply shared commitment
to the future of the offi ce, and the great city
of New York, as we drive innovation and
creativity in the heart of NYC.”
Google’s St. John’s Terminal campus is expected
to open in mid-2023. Its development
coincides with the ongoing development of
Pier 57, where Google will occupy 320,000
square feet of offi ce space upon completion.
More than 12,000 people currently work
in Google’s New York offi ce, which is the
largest outside its Silicon Valley headquarters
in California. When the St. John’s
Terminal and Pier 57 offi ces are opened,
Google’s New York workforce will exceed
14,000, and the tech giant has committed
to expanding the number of employees
from diverse communities across the city.
A West Village church celebrates 200 years as ‘safe space’ for community
BY HAEVEN GIBBONS
Jazz music blared Sunday from
the steps of the 200-year-old
St. John’s Lutheran Church
on Christopher Street in the
West Village — with jovial tunes
permeating down the street and
into the ears of passersby — as the
congregation celebrated its house
of worship’s bicentennial.
The church celebrated all weekend
with an open house for people
to view the sanctuary’s historic
artifacts, discussions about the
history of the church, concerts,
worship, and a “Celebration of
Sacred Space” program which
included music, refl ections, poetry
and a theatrical performance.
The bicentennial was an ode to
St. John’s history, where it is now
and what the future holds.The
church was built in 1821, when
the nation was just 33 years old.
At its birth, the farms and homes
surrounded the house of worship;
today, it’s a fi xture amid the concrete
jungle.
“It’s awesome to think that
this space has been around for
200 years and has constantly
provided a safe space for anyone
who needed it in the community
and continues to do so,” said
Melinda Lando, president of the
congregation.
Erik Bottcher, Democratic
nominee for the City Council’s
3rd District seat, said that in
today’s world, it’s more important
than ever to have places for
people to gather in person and to
come together as one and that’s
what the church provides.
On behalf of the New York
City Council, Bottcher presented
a proclamation to the church
commemorating the 200-year
anniversary during the “Celebration
of Sacred Space” celebration.
The celebration attracted people
from the neighborhood who
have never attended the church
before. Several stopped to listen
to the outdoor jazz concert and
read about the church’s 200 year
history.
“It’s great. I just learned this
was here for 200 years,” said
Dylan Reider, who was going on
a run in the area.
Left to right: Daniel Neiden (Village Yontiff), Erik Bottcher
(Democratic nominee for City Council District 3), St. John’s
Lutheran Church Pastor Mark Erson and Bishop Paul
Egensteiner.
Bottcher said St. John’s is more
than just a church.
“It’s a community center, a
neighborhood gathering space
and it’s been a refuge for the lost
and marginalized people of our
community,” Bottcher said. “For
200 years, it’s hard to quantify
the amount of people it’s served
and helped but it’s a cause for
tremendous celebration.”
PHOTO BY ANGEL SALGADO
When St. John’s began with a
small congregation of German
immigrants in 1855, the church
served as a place for German
speaking immigrants to connect
with their culture and share their
language. Today, it has grown
to be an inclusive church that
embraces the arts and culture of
the West Village.
“Everybody is welcome,” said
Mark Erson, the pastor at St.
John’s Lutheran Church. “The
contrast is, when it fi rst opened,
everyone was the same, and now
it’s all about diversity and we
want to reach out in as many
ways as we can to serve as many
diverse communities as we can.”
The church engages with the
West Village community in various
ways.
It has a rich connection with
the arts community: several
theater companies in the area
are in residence at the church
and use the space to rehearse, a
set for a play is hidden behind
the altar on stage, the church
hosts singer songwriter open
mic nights, poet open mic nights
and a gospel showcase in which
ballroom performers perform live
gospel music.
Through these events, people
are able to see themselves represented
in church, Erson said.
“We are saying, ‘be yourself
and bring all that you love about
your culture and about your expression,’
and we have a place for
you,” Erson said.
Schneps Media September 23, 2021 3