The St. Vincent Health Sciences Center at St. John's University has been honored at the 100th annual Queens Chamber of Commerce Building Awards, in the New Construction category. The university announced the award on Oct. 21. The gala was held at the TWA Hotel at John F. Kennedy International Airport, and Queens Chamber president and CEO Tom Grech hosted it and announced the winners.

The Building Awards have recognized construction projects in Queens since 1926, which made this year's gala the program's centennial. St. John's said the award recognized the building's design, its construction and its effect on the community around it.

What the building is

The St. Vincent Health Sciences Center opened for classes in fall 2024 and was formally dedicated on Sept. 18, 2024. St. John's describes it as a three-story, 70,000-square-foot building that cost about $106 million. It houses the university's nursing, radiologic sciences and physician assistant programs, with room for 300 nursing students and 75 physician assistant students each year.

Inside are laboratories, classrooms built around current technology and shared study spaces, designed to resemble the clinical settings students will work in after graduation. The outside is largely glass. CannonDesign was the architect and Shawmut Design and Construction was the builder; St. John's says early planning began during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The project was supported by a $20 million pledge from Margaret LaRosa D'Angelo, a member of the university's Board of Trustees, and her husband, Board Chair Emeritus Peter P. D'Angelo. St. John's calls it the largest single gift in its history.

A second honor this year

The building already picked up a different kind of recognition in 2026. In June, St. John's announced that it had officially earned LEED Gold certification for energy and environmental performance, a step above the LEED Silver rating the university expected when the building opened.

Who it serves

St. John's says the center trains future pharmacists, nurses, physician assistants, public health professionals and other health care workers, and that it was built to meet growing demand for health sciences education.

The university has been in Queens since 1955 and has been a Queens Chamber of Commerce member for decades. Its Queens campus is at 8000 Utopia Parkway in Jamaica.

Prospective students can find program details, admission requirements and campus visit dates on the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences pages of the St. John's website.

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