Location
476 Fifth Avenue
Completion
2002
Client
New York Public Library
Square Footage
44,000 SF
Architect
Davis Brody Bond, LLP
New York Public Library - South Court
Sciame was the Construction Manager responsible for the renovation of the South Court Building. A three-story infill structure in the open south courtyard of the Center for Humanities Building. It’s the first permanent addition to the Historic Bryant Park in 89 years. The addition accommodates the Library’s growing public education program as well as provides administration and staff support space. The new building houses an electronic Teaching Center, the Celeste Bartos Education Center auditorium, administrative offices, and an employee lounge located on the glass-walled top floor.
The South Court Building stands as a prominent modern addition to the New York Public Library, while simultaneously enhancing the original landmark building. The entire structure is sky lit and the floor is set back from the existing stonewalls of the courtyard, revealing the façades to the public for the first time. The original foundation walls are exposed at the bottom of a glass staircase, which descends from the first floor to the auditorium. This successful integration of the original building and the new structure was an important design goal of the project, a goal that the architects worked closely with the Library to achieve. The result is a building with a sophisticated sense of modernity that preserves the original building’s integrity.
Project Awards
New York Landmarks Conservancy
Lucy G. Moses Preservation Award
American Institute of Architects
Honor Award
AIA / American Library Association
Award of Excellence for Library Architecture
Metro NY/NJ Chapter Construction Mgmt. Assoc. of America
Project of the Year
Chicago Athenaeum
American Architecture Award
NY Construction News – Best of 2002
Institutional Project of the Year Award
What a night! A huge thank you to everyone who came out on Wednesday to represent Team Sciame at the 2025 J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge in Central Park!
Despite the weather, the Sciame team showed up strong, lacing up and powering through the 3½-mile course!
We’re proud of the determination, camaraderie, and good humor everyone brought to a soggy evening in the park.
#jpmcc
New York Construction’s Contractor of the Year – Looking back, 2006 was a standout year for Sciame Construction. We were honored as Contractor of the Year, a testament to our growing reputation for delivering some of New York City’s most architecturally daring and culturally significant projects.
In April 2006, Sciame Construction completed the Morgan Library and Museum Expansion, designed by Renzo Piano Building Workshop and BBB Architects. The project was led by then EVP/Division Head Joseph Mizzi, who began his career at Sciame 11 years earlier in 1995.
The following month, our founder, Frank Sciame, passed the torch of day-to-day leadership by promoting Joseph Mizzi to President of Sciame Construction, while continuing to serve as Chairman and CEO.
This leadership transition helped shape the next chapter of our story, and was memorialized in the cover photo of New York Construction, and the firm’s Contractor of the Year honor.
Thanks a Half-Billion! – At Sciame Construction, we proudly led the effort to reimagine the WTC Memorial and Museum, a project of national significance. Frank Sciame, our founder, was tasked with creating a design that honored the original vision while staying within a $500 million budget. Working closely with Mayor Bloomberg, Governor Pataki, and a team of 13 advisers, including notable figures like Jack Rudin and Robert Douglass, we developed cost-effective design options, ultimately reducing the budget from nearly $1 billion to $510 million. Our approach preserved key elements like the voids, waterfalls, and pools while optimizing infrastructure and resizing the museum. Sciame’s commitment to excellence ensured a memorial that balances beauty, dignity, and sustainability.
Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center – Though relatively small in size, the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center was a technically complex project successfully constructed and delivered by Sciame Construction. This groundbreaking laboratory made an outsized impact on global health. It was here that Dr. David Ho pioneered the development of the revolutionary “AIDS cocktail,” a combination therapy that transformed HIV from a fatal diagnosis into a manageable condition. His groundbreaking work earned him the title of TIME magazine’s Man of the Year, underscoring the center’s profound contribution to the fight against the AIDS epidemic.
