The property includes artwork from local artists.

LOS ANGELES—The Ruth Group has completed construction of 211 Ocean, a creative office redevelopment project in Downtown Long Beach. There has been a resurgence in the Long beach market, and the Ruth Group has been one of the pioneers in building creative office. This project is one of the first significant creative office projects in the market, and has been well received by the community and strong demand from tenants.

“We are really the first ones into Long Beach, and now that people have seen this project, there is a lot of talk and a lot of activity in Long Beach, and we see a lot of other properties that will be transformed into this type of space,” Bob Ruth, president of the Ruth Group, tells GlobeSt.com. “We tried to design from the inside out. We saw great tenant demand and a fantastic tenant in the market. Between the tenant in the building and what we picked up from talking to other tenants in the market, we think that Long Beach is ready for a project like this.”

Creative office can mean different things to different people, so Ruth's goal was to create a collaborative and sustainable environment that could appeal to the diverse tenant mix in Long Beach, as well as the changing demographics. “We took a very tired building and tried to create a collaborative environment for people to enjoy ambient air in Long Beach and the lifestyle of Long Beach,” he says. “We brought in bikes, have operable windows, balconies with roll-up doors and the lobby was expanded and enhanced to create a collaborative environment, while trying to be environmentally sensitive with the design and operation of the building.” The six-story building was designed by Ware Malcomb, and is proximate to public transit.

When the Ruth Group purchased the property, it was 55% leased, now it is nearly fully occupied and Ruth expects to reach full occupancy by early 2017. “We held off on leasing until we were finished with the improvements,” he says. “We held up two spec suites and those have since been leased, and we are in negotiations with a number of tenants for the balance of the building. This is one of those projects where it is exciting to see the people. It is really a fun place to be.”

Instant Insights /

Creative Office Tenants Head to Long Beach

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