MINNEAPOLIS-In a convenient matchup, HGA Architects and Engineers has leased 80,000 square feet in a historic building, a former Ford manufacturing facility, where the company is acting as project architect for a $40-million renovation project. Owner United Properties is leading the project, located across from the new Target Field.
The property was built in 1912 as a vertical assembly plant and car showroom for Ford Motor Co. United Properties bought the building, operating as a Class C flex property in the city’s warehouse district in 2007 for $12.5 million, and launched its redevelopment of the building. The company first had to gain historic renovation design approval from the National Park Service, Minneapolis Historic Preservation Commission and the City of Minneapolis Planning Commission.
The new Ford Center will have 270,000 square feet of office, including a bottom floor parking area and a fitness center. John Saunders with United, leading the project with Bill Katter, tells GlobeSt.com that the perk of the property is its location next to an expanded light and commuter rail station. “There will be three other light rail lines at this location over the next several years,” Saunders says.
HGA, which had been working on the project with United, is taking the first floor floors. The property’s floor plates support collaborative teamwork, said Stephen Fiskum, COO with HGA. “And its proximity to light rail and public transit reinforces our firm’s commitment to urbanism and sustainability,” he said.
Saunders said HGA had been looking at other options, but in the past five months started negotiating for the new lease. “We have a lot of tenant interest, with several very promising discussions with a number of parties. The local office market is relatively slow, but the uniqueness of this project has created a strong demand for our building,” he says.
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