This listing accompanies the story “The mind behind the mile”
Some of the Platinum Mile”™s best-known businesses, past and present:
AMF Inc. ”“ Bowling equipment maker leased all of 777 Westchester Ave. from the early 1970s, soon after changing its name from American Machine Foundry Co., until the late 1980s.
Combe Inc. ”“ Maker of personal products has been based at 1101 Westchester Ave. since the 1970s. Among the earliest corporate migrants from New York City back in the 1950s when it moved to downtown White Plains offices above a beauty parlor at 100 Mamaroneck Ave.
Con Edison ”“ Based its Westchester operations at 210 Westchester Ave. until moving to Rye. Con Ed”™s former building now houses WestMed Medical Group.
Gannett Co. ”“ Moved The Journal News”™ predecessor, The Reporter Dispatch, in 1973 to the office/printing press building at 1 Gannett Drive from offices on Church Street in downtown White Plains. Later consolidated additional Westchester news operations there. Placed the 232,000-square-foot building for sale last December, following several rounds of layoffs since 2005 and before shifting its printing operations to Rockaway, N.J.
General Foods ”“ The first corporation to open offices on Westchester Avenue with its 623,700-square-foot campus in 1953. Thirty years later the company moved about 5 miles east, to 800 Westchester Ave. Acquired in 1985 by Philip Morris.
Hitachi Metals ”“ The U.S. metal-products unit of Japan”™s Hitachi Ltd. opened a 26,000-square-foot headquarters at 2400 Westchester Ave. in Purchase, and maintained offices there until moving in 2002 to The Centre at Purchase, a five-minute drive from Platinum Mile.
IBM ”“ Developed 1133 Westchester Ave., which it sold to Robert P. Weisz”™s RPW Group Inc. in 2006 for $76 million. Also owned 1000 Westchester Ave., since redeveloped into the U.S. Postal Service”™s Westchester Processing and Distribution Center; and 2000 Purchase St., now the headquarters of MasterCard Worldwide.
ITT Corp. ”“ The company settled at 4 W. Red Oak Lane, one of three companies resulting from the break up of the original ITT in 1995. Moved across Westchester Avenue in 2008, to 1311 Westchester Ave., where it consolidated two division headquarters previously in New Jersey. Awarded $1 million by the state and a half-million from Westchester County in incentives tied to shifting 96 jobs from New Jersey.
Malcolm Pirnie ”“ Engineering firm vacated all of the 118,000-square-foot 104 Corporate Park Drive in December, when it moved to Westchester One (44 South Broadway) in downtown White Plains.
MasterCard Worldwide ”“ Shifted headquarters from New York City to 2000 Westchester Ave. in 1995, after acquiring the 472,600-square-foot building from IBM.
Morgan Stanley ”“ Maintains offices at 2000 Westchester Ave. in Purchase, the 750,000-square-foot building and surrounding 107 acres the financial services firm acquired from Texaco in 2002 for $42 million.
Nestle ”“ Built the I.M. Pei-designed 2000 Purchase St. in Purchase, then sold it to IBM and opted to stay at 120 Bloomingdale Road in White Plains after a dip in profits. In late 1986, Nestle built a new headquarters on adjacent land, only to move out in 1992 when the food giant moved to Glendale, Calif.
New York Telephone / NYNEX / Bell Atlantic / Verizon ”“ Maintained “working” headquarters at 1111-1113 Westchester Ave. in White Plains through the late 1990s. Also owned and occupied 400 and 500 Westchester Ave. until selling the buildings to GHP Office Realty in 2007.
Nine West Group Inc. ”“ Succeeded NYNEX as sole tenant of 1111-1113 Westchester Ave. after moving HQ there from New York City, in return for $7 million in incentives from the state and White Plains. Renamed campus 1109-1129 Westchester Ave. Leases 132,200 square feet at 1129 Westchester Ave.
PepsiCo Inc. ”“ Relocated its headquarters from New York City to the former Blind Brook Polo Club on Anderson Hill Road in Purchase, a 5-minute drive from Westchester Avenue, in 1970.
Pernod Ricard ”“ Retains Americas Travel Retail unit at 777 Westchester Ave., which served as U.S. HQ of the French-owned wines and spirits giant from 2001 to 2006, when it moved to 100 Manhattanville Road in Purchase ”“ but replaced the Purchase-bound employees with staffers shifted from Westport, Conn., and employees from the Malibu-Kahlua International division, which earlier this year vacated two floors at 777 Westchester.
Philip Morris (now Altria Group) ”“ Entered Platinum Mile after acquiring General Foods in 1985; acquired Kraft Foods three years later. Based U.S operations at 800 Westchester Ave. Sold 800 Westchester to Robert P. Weisz”™s RPW Group Inc. for $36.5 million in 2004, a year after changing name to Altria Group.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide ”“ Consolidated offices in four states into temporary space at 777 Westchester Ave. in 1998, then into permanent headquarters at 1111 Westchester Ave. three years later. Expanded to 1133 Westchester Ave. in 2005. Plans to vacate both White Plains sites in 2012, when it moves its HQ to Stamford, Conn., in return for $90 million incentive package.
Tambrands ”“ Leased entire 777 Westchester Ave. after AMF”™s departure through 1997, when it consolidated offices at the Cincinnati headquarters of Procter & Gamble after P&G acquired the tampon supplier for $1.85 billion.
Texaco Inc. ”“ Moved its headquarters from New York City to 2000 Westchester Ave. in 1977. After 2001 acquisition by Chevron Corp., sold the 750,000-square-foot building and surrounding 107 acres to Morgan Stanley and exited Platinum Mile. Chevron”™s Global Marine Products unit maintains small offices at Westchester One.
Westchester County Business Journal / Westfair Business Publications ”“ Based at 2900 Westchester Ave. in early 1990s. After a period in Hawthorne, returned to Platinum Mile by moving to 108 Corporate Park Drive, Harrison in 1995. Two years later, relocated to current offices at 3 Gannett Drive, also in Harrison.
