TF Cornerstone Hires Walt Disney’s Michael Gordon to Lead 175 Park Avenue Project

TF Cornerstone has snagged a top executive from the Walt Disney Company to lead construction on its nearly 3 million-square-foot mixed-use development near Midtown’s Grand Central Terminal, Commercial Observer has learned.

Michael Gordon, who most recently worked as a project executive at Disney, was tapped to become TF Cornerstone’s new senior project executive for 175 Park Avenue, a planned 95-story tower featuring Class A office space and a hotel. TF Cornerstone and its partner RXR are set to begin demolition on the current Grand Hyatt Hotel on the site next year.

In his new role, which he started Monday, Gordon will help lead the Park Avenue project’s design and execution and work closely with Frank Vasta, executive vice president for construction at TF Cornerstone.

“175 Park is an exciting and consequential project for New York City, and I knew I wanted to be part of it,” Gordon said in a statement. “TF Cornerstone has a unique and exceptional reputation in the construction industry that I’m excited to become a part of, especially on a project of this scale and significance.”

While at Disney, Gordon led construction of the firm’s new Lower Manhattan headquarters at 7 Hudson Square. Before his time at Disney, Gordon was the director of design and construction for World Wide Holdings, where he worked on several mixed-use projects. Before that, he held roles at Sciame Construction and Morse/Diesel, in which he worked on renovations at the Morgan Library & Museum and construction work on 5 Times Square.

“We’re very excited to have Mike join our team to enhance our construction expertise on large and complex office developments like 175 Park,” Jake Elghanayan, senior vice president at TF Cornerstone, said in a statement. “Mike’s experience delivering highly complex projects at scale, especially for a corporation like Disney, will be welcome as we advance to the next stage of this transformative project.”

The Skidmore, Owings & Merrill-designed 175 Park Avenue will include more than $550 million in infrastructure improvements to Grand Central Terminal and the 42nd Street subway station, with upgrades including a new street-level transit hall and “enhanced underground connections,” according to TF Cornerstone.

Todd Rechler, chief construction and development officer at RXR, said in a statement that the project will “reshape Midtown and deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in transit improvements and public benefits at Grand Central.”

The project is expected to create roughly 19,000 union construction jobs, with an anticipated completion date in 2034.

Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.