In 1891, Frederick Bulley, a 21-year-old English stone mason, partnered with Alfred Andrews, an architect. Four generations and 120 years later, the modest, two man operation has become one of the most successful and well-respected general contracting firms in Chicago.
This year, Bulley & Andrews is proud to celebrate 120 years in business. The family-owned and operated general contractor attributes this significant milestone to the strong foundation built decades ago on honesty, integrity, and service in construction. The firm will celebrate the momentous occasion by hosting an open-house gathering for clients, partners and friends of the firm at the Chicago Club on Thursday, October 13, 2011.
Chairman and CEO, Allan E. Bulley, Jr., and President, Allan E. Bulley, III are the third and fourth generations, respectively, to lead Bulley & Andrews. Yet, family pride and commitment to the firm extends far beyond ownership.
Today, Bulley & Andrews’ annual revenues exceed $210 million and the company employs approximately 70 project management and administrative staff as well as over 200 field personnel. As a self-performing contractor, B&A employs a number of tradesmen whose family histories with the organization span generations and include fathers, grandfathers, brothers and sisters, many of whom have been with the organization for over 25 years.
Significant events in the company’s history include the establishment of Bulley & Andrews Masonry Restoration, LLC, in 2005. Known as BAMR, the group oversees and performs all services necessary to maintain, protect and preserve a building’s exterior. Five years later, in 2010, Bulley & Andrews acquired the assets of Takao Nagai Associates to develop the subsidiary known as Takao Nagai Concrete Restoration. Their concrete repair and waterproofing expertise complements Bulley & Andrews’ extensive restoration experience.
Over the past 120 years, the company has built and restored many of Chicago’s most significant landmarks. Late in 1941, Bulley & Andrews was commissioned by the Atomic Energy Commission to build the laboratory space for the Manhattan Project. Located beneath Stagg Field at The University of Chicago, the project was built in complete secrecy. Decades later, Bulley & Andrews has helped to construct McDonald’s corporate campus in Oak Brook, Ill., restore Frank Lloyd Wright’s famed Robie House and maintain and expand S&C Electric’s campus on the northside. The firm is currently building the world’s largest Ronald McDonald House in downtown Chicago. BD+C
Related Stories
| Apr 13, 2011
Office interaction was the critical element to Boston buildout
Margulies Perruzzi Architects, Boston, designed the new 11,460-sf offices for consultant Interaction Associates and its nonprofit sister organization, The Interaction Institute for Social Change, inside an old warehouse near Boston’s Seaport Center.
| Apr 13, 2011
Expanded Museum of the Moving Image provides a treat for the eyes
The expansion and renovation of the Museum of the Moving Image in the Astoria section of Queens, N.Y., involved a complete redesign of its first floor and the construction of a three-story 47,000-sf addition.
| Apr 13, 2011
Duke University parking garage driven to LEED certification
People parking their cars inside the new Research Drive garage at Duke University are making history—they’re utilizing the country’s first freestanding LEED-certified parking structure.
| Apr 13, 2011
Red Bull Canada HQ a mix of fluid spaces and high-energy design
The Toronto architecture firm Johnson Chou likes to put a twist on its pared-down interiors, and its work on the headquarters for Red Bull Canada is no exception. The energy drink maker occupies 12,300 sf on the top two floors of a three-story industrial building in Toronto, and the design strategy for its space called for leaving the base building virtually untouched while attention was turned to the interior architecture.
| Apr 13, 2011
Former department store gets new lease on life as MaineHealth HQ
The long-vacant Sears Roebuck building in Portland, Maine, was redeveloped into the corporate headquarters for MaineHealth. Consigli Construction and local firm Harriman Architects + Engineers handled the 14-month fast-track project, transforming the 89,000-sf, four-story facility for just $100/sf.
| Apr 12, 2011
Rutgers students offered choice of food and dining facilities
The Livingston Dining Commons at Rutgers University’s Livingston Campus in New Brunswick, N.J., was designed by Biber Partnership, Summit, N.J., to offer three different dining rooms that connect to a central servery.
| Apr 12, 2011
Retail complex enjoys prime Abu Dhabi location
The Galleria at Sowwah Square in Abu Dhabi will be built in a prime location within Sowwah Island that also includes a five-star Four Seasons Hotel, the healthcare facility Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, and nearly two million sf of Class A office space.
| Apr 12, 2011
Luxury New York high rise adjacent to the High Line
Located adjacent to New York City’s High Line Park, 500 West 23rd Street will offer 111 luxury rental apartments when it opens later this year.
| Apr 12, 2011
College of New Jersey facility will teach teachers how to teach
The College of New Jersey broke ground on its 79,000-sf School of Education building in Ewing, N.J.
| Apr 12, 2011
Mental hospital in Boston redeveloped as healthcare complex
An abandoned state mental health facility in Boston’s prestigious Longwood Medical Area is being transformed into the Mass Mental Health Center, a four-building mixed-use complex that includes a mental health day hospital, a clinical and office building, a medical research facility for Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and a residential facility.