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Permit breakdown pegs Apple Park 'spaceship' at over $427.5M, Steve Jobs Theater over $179.4M

It cost upwards of $427.5 million to build Apple Park's main ring alone, according to a report this week which examined building permits for each of the 15 major structures at Apple's new headquarters.

The second most expensive structure was the Steve Jobs Theater, valued at over $179.4 million, BuildZoom said. The site pointed out that its figures indicate only minimum costs, and that in reality budgets exceeded that, since they don't account for demolitions, temporary structures, and public infrastructure improvements. Likewise, only documents shared by the City of Cupertino were used.

The two main parking structures — which like the main ring, feature rooftop solar panels — cost over $113.7 million. An office building at the corner of North Tantau and 280 cost nearly $115.4 million, while the Visitor's Center at Tantau and Pruneridge was tallied at around $109.7 million.

The company also spent high amounts on what might normally be niche expenses. The complex's "central plant" — housing fuel cells, backup generators, water storage, and a substation, among other things — cost at least $35.6 million, while a dedicated fitness center was priced over $16.7 million.

The Glendenning Barn, a relocated historical structure, came in at $360,000. The company has repurposed it to store maintenance and landscaping supplies.

The final price tag for Apple Park has previously been reported around $5 billion, making it one of the most expensive projects on the planet. It was one of the final Apple projects to be touched by former CEO Steve Jobs, who insisted on unusual design traits such as the ring's curved glass exterior. Those have partly been to blame for years-long delays, and indeed while Apple workers have been moving to the new campus since April, construction is still ongoing.



25 Comments

eightzero 14 Years · 3148 comments

Cheap. We blow that on taxpayer funded sports stadiums.

StrangeDays 8 Years · 12986 comments

eightzero said:
Cheap. We blow that on taxpayer funded sports stadiums.

Beat me to it, was going to comment on the same — if Apple were an NFL franchise they’d have expected the city to pay for the new HQ. so whack. 

boltsfan17 12 Years · 2294 comments

eightzero said:
Cheap. We blow that on taxpayer funded sports stadiums.
Beat me to it, was going to comment on the same — if Apple were an NFL franchise they’d have expected the city to pay for the new HQ. so whack. 

It is pretty whack forcing cities and taxpayers to foot the bill for billionaires to build these stadiums. If teams want new stadiums, pay for it themselves or get the NFL to chip in more. I voted no for the new stadium in San Diego. Screw the Spanos family. 

Soli 9 Years · 9981 comments

@StrangeDays, aren't you going to question why someone would want to look at the permit breakdown of the new HQ? LOL

eightzero said:
Cheap. We blow that on taxpayer funded sports stadiums.
Beat me to it, was going to comment on the same — if Apple were an NFL franchise they’d have expected the city to pay for the new HQ. so whack. 
It is pretty whack forcing cities and taxpayers to foot the bill for billionaires to build these stadiums. If teams want new stadiums, pay for it themselves or get the NFL to chip in more. I voted no for the new stadium in San Diego. Screw the Spanos family. 

Using incentives to generate revenues is no different than anything else in the free market. There's absolutely nothing wrong with Apple (or a sport's team) looking for tax breaks and other benefits for bringing business to a city. The problem is when there are underhanded deals being made by individuals to benefit themselves without regard for the municipality or its people, resulting in a net loss for the city and its taxpayers. Apple staying in Cupertino seems like a good deal for Cupertino.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcwJt4bcnXs

neilm 16 Years · 1001 comments

If the #4 office building cost $115M, and a pair of parking structures $114M, then it seems wildly unlikely the the elaborate main ring — with its circumference of a full mile! — came to a mere $428M (all figures rounded to the nearest million).