IBM Somers Office Complex

The IBM Somers Office Complex is a complex of five office buildings formerly owned and occupied by IBM in Somers, New York, United States.[2] Situated on a 730-acre (3.0 km2) campus, the I. M. Pei designed, glass pyramid-topped structures formerly housed the regional headquarters for the IBM corporation.[3]

IBM Somers Office Complex
Regional headquarters
General information
TypeCorporate Offices
Architectural styleModernist
LocationSomers, NY
Coordinates41.32072°N 73.67855°W / 41.32072; -73.67855
Construction startedJuly 1984
CompletedOctober 1989[1]
Cost$55 million
OwnerSebastian Capital
Dimensions
Other dimensions750 acres (3.0 km2; 1.17 sq mi)
Technical details
Floor area1,200,000 square feet (110,000 m2)
Design and construction
ArchitectI. M. Pei
Architecture firmPei Cobb Freed & Partners

Begun in 1984, the modernist 1,200,000-square-foot (110,000 m2) complex has been described as a "futuristic fortress".[4]

History
View from plaza

The complex was originally conceived in 1983 following the successful approval of a PepsiCo corporate campus nearby.[5] Constructed between 1984 and 1989, the $55 million complex allowed consolidation of 3,000 employees previously spread among several facilities in the surrounding area.[6] The complex has overcome initial complaints over excessive water usage and light pollution to become a business fixture in the Somers area.[5][7]

On September 29, 2016, IBM sold the property to a company called 294 Route 100, LLC (the address of the property) for $31.75M. The transaction was recorded on October 18, 2016. At the time of sale, the property was assessed with a full value of $122,150,943 and taxable value of $16,185,000.[8]

On September 20, 2018, Sebastian Capital, what is considered the "landlord" of the place, held a special meeting with the town of Somers Board on approving a plan to renovate the campus into a boarding school. Developer Tim DeScripo says that if the academy be put into real life, it could be "one of the most important and relevant schools in the country and the world."[9]

Somers Songsters

In 2003, Somers Songsters recorded the "IBM One Hundred Percent Club" song, to the tune of "I've Been Working On The Railroad", for the archives at the Somers complex as part of the IBM music reference room effort.[10]

Layout
USGS satellite view

Approximately 2,000 employees in Global Services, Software, and the Systems and Technology Group[4][11]occupy 1,200,000 square feet (110,000 m2) of office space in 730 acres (3.0 km2) hilltop campus consisting of four triangle-shaped main buildings and a central service building, each topped with a glass pyramid.[2][12]

Awards

In 1990 the Somers complex staff was given IEEE Corporate Innovation Recognition "For the development of the multilayer ceramic thermal conduction module for high performance computers."[13]

See also

References
  1. "IBM Office Building Complex". Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. Retrieved 2009-06-28.
  2. Morgan, Timothy (2003-09-22). "It's Time for an iSeries BladeCenter". IT Jungle. Guild Companies. Archived from the original on 2008-08-29. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  3. Oser, Alan (1983-07-10). "Somers Complex Adapts to Times". NYT. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  4. Steinberg, Jacques (1992-12-17). "At an I.B.M. Complex, Fear and Disbelief". NYT. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  5. Foderaro, Lisa (1989-12-05). "Town Copes With Growth And Trouble It Can Bring". NYT. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  6. McCain, Mark (1987-07-12). "Commercial Property: Westchester Offices; 20% Vacancy Casts a Pall in Once-Booming Suburb". NYT. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  7. Foderaro, Lisa (1989-04-05). "To many in North Salem, Skyglow Has No Romance". NYT. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  8. Auchterlonie, Tom (2016-11-07). "IBM Sells Somers Campus For $31.75 Million".
  9. "STEM Academy Seeks Somers IBM Building for State-of-the-Art Campus". TAPinto. Retrieved 2018-09-23.
  10. "IBM One Hundred Percent Club". IBM. 2003-04-28. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  11. "Possible job cuts at IBM's Sommers campus". Westchester County Business Journal. 1999-10-18. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  12. Lammers, David (1999-07-30). "IBM sets its sights on communications silicon". United Business Media. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
  13. "IEEE Corporate Innovation Recognition Recipients". IEEE. Retrieved 2008-08-31.
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