In the News

Blue Smoke, North End Grill to be Completed in December 2011

New York, NY – Shawmut Design and Construction, located at 3 East 54th Street in New York City, has been selected to build Blue Smoke and North End Grill, the two newest restaurants by Danny Meyer’s Union Square Hospitality Group (USHG). 

Blue Smoke, a traditional barbeque concept, is located inside the Goldman Sachs Building, off Vesey Street, in lower Manhattan’s Battery Park City neighborhood. The restaurant is approximately 4,200 square feet.

Upon completion, Blue Smoke will feature seating for 141 people. There will be an outdoor dining component, as well as a private dining room.  The design will incorporate wood walls and floors, an open ceiling, and will use reclaimed hickory wood to add to the ambiance of a traditional barbeque joint. Massive smokers will be installed in the kitchen.

North End Grill, located on North End Avenue, also at the Goldman Sachs Building, will feature seating for 134 people and will include an interactive kitchen, wine room, pastry and bread areas, as well as retractable windows which can be opened during warm weather months.

Construction on Blue Smoke and North End Grill, which are both designed by Bentel & Bentel Architects/Planners, began this month, and will be completed in December 2011. 

Shawmut, which is known for its ability to overcome complicated construction challenges, will sequence their slab demolition work on both projects in order to avoid adding excessive pressure to the Goldman Sachs Building’s supportive structure. In North End Grill, Shawmut will add an exhaust for a special wood burning oven that will rise 15 stories, routed through occupied spaces within the building.

Since 2007, Shawmut has served as USHG’s construction management firm for 12 prior projects. The partnership began with the construction of the original Blue Smoke, and has expanded to include a number of Shake Shack locations, as well as Maialino, and Untitled at the Whitney.