Schimenti celebrates Oculus opening

Representatives of Schimenti Construction were on hand to celebrate the opening of retail stores in the Westfield World Trade Center in lower Manhattan on Aug. 16.

Schimenti, based in Ridgefield, was the general contractor for several stores in the Oculus, the 78,000-square-foot retail and dining centerpiece in the $4 billion World Trade Center Transportation Hub.

The Oculus, a soaring, light-filled glass-and-steel structure designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava to look like a dove in flight, opened nearly 15 years after terrorists destroyed the World Trade Center in 2001.

It is part of the 350,000-square-foot Westfield World Trade Center mall.

Schimenti served as general contractor for Banana Republic, Breitling, Cole Haan, COS, Fossil, H&M, Under Armour and Victoria”™s Secret.

The transportation hub serves 250,000 daily commuters, connecting 11 subway lines, the PATH rail system, Battery Park City Ferry Terminal, World Trade Center towers, the World Financial Center and the Winter Garden.

Schimenti was founded in 1994 by Matthew C. Schimenti, a third-generation veteran of the design and construction business who has focused his firm on retail construction.