What’s New
Bluedrop Gives New Life to Historic St. John’s
Monday, October 20th, 2008
For decades, 18 Prescott Street has stood as a symbol of Newfoundland’s once stagnant economy. The once thriving building in the geographic heart of St. John’s stood vacant as an aging, graffiti laden, abandoned warehouse… clearly destined for demolition. This would have been a sad end for a structure built just after the Great Fire of 1892 and whose past lives included such functions as a printing press and meat packing plant. Fortunately, in 2006, Bluedrop Performance Learning was searching for a unique location for the company’s global headquarters and production facility. It was an immediate marriage.
“I was looking for a prominent building rich in history and character with captivating views of the adjacent working harbour. Once I stood in the abandoned second floor of the Prescott Street location amongst the meat hooks, turn of the century machinery, and 6” of cork insulation…. it sounds crazy, but I just knew this building was perfect.” stated Emad Rizkalla, Bluedrop President and CEO. Rizkalla said that all the early consultations with local architects advised strongly for demolition of the site which greatly disappointed him. ”My hope was to tap into the character and resilience of the building while introducing modern and innovative elements throughout. For me, that juxtaposition represented Newfoundland… and it certainly captured the soul of Bluedrop as well. Once I connected with (Barcelona Architect) Javier Gomez—the rebirth of the building just took on a life of its own. I am very pleased with the end result—it speaks in a special way to our roots in this city and the world class work that is now generated in this location.”
While Bluedrop has locations throughout North America, St. John’s has always been home. Emad Rizkalla says “since we began operation back in 1992 as ZeddComm, our organization has often been looked upon as a leader in our technology industry and it is a position that we have not taken lightly. Our $2M investment in this 11,000 sqf facility demonstrates our commitment to our employees and our faith and optimism in the future of Newfoundland and Labrador.”
Official Building Opening
On October 21 from 3:45 – 6pm, Bluedrop will be officially opening the 18 Prescott Street location and will be hosting clients and the St. John’s business community for this special occasion. Invited guests include the Premier, Irish Ambassador to Canada, and the Mayor of St. John’s.