Blog Archives
Downtown Phoenix Luhrs buildings start luring tenants as renovations progress
[Source: Jan Buchlolz, Phoenix Business Journal] — The changes under way on one key city block in downtown Phoenix are not obvious to the casual eye, but the Luhrs City Center is well into its transformation. In recent weeks, the Luhrs Building has been gutted in preparation for new tenants, including law firm Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP, which has committed to taking the 10th floor. The Seattle-based firm, which specializes in class actions, will move this summer from its space at the Esplanade, at 24th Street and Camelback Road. “The building gave us the opportunity to have a presence in a great historic building, but at the same time build a state-of-the-art law office from the ground up,” said Rob Carey, Phoenix managing partner.
The Luhrs Building, 11 W. Jefferson St., will include 80,000 square feet of office space when it’s completely restored. About 20,000 square feet of retail will be available at street level. Cushman & Wakefield of Arizona Inc. is marketing the office space. Phoenix Commercial Advisors is handling the retail leasing. Hansji Urban, a division of Hansji Hotels Inc. of Irvine, Calif., purchased the entire city block — bounded by Jefferson and Madison streets, and Central and First avenues — for $28 million in October 2007. [Note: To read the full article, click here.]
Luhrs Block developer wants additional downtown Phoenix land
[Source: Arizona Republic] — The developer who bought downtown Phoenix’s iconic Luhrs Building and Luhrs Tower want to take a step toward building a hotel and other buildings south of the landmarks. On Wednesday, the City Council’s Downtown, Economy, and Aviation subcommittee will weigh whether the city should issue a request for proposals to develop the block. The area is bound by First Avenue and Central Avenue, and Jefferson and Madison streets.
Irvine, Calif.-based Hansji Hotels, Inc. already owns the property, but the city must issue a request for proposals if the developer wants to partner with the city to develop it, said Jason Harris deputy director of the city’s downtown development office. Hansji is already working with the city to preserve the two historic buildings. Hansji bought the block for $28 million in 2007.
Mesa teen creates metro Phoenix landmarks for Google Earth
The picture above of the Luhrs Block in downtown Phoenix is not a photograph, but a computer-generated model designed by Patrick Griffin, a 15-year-old living in Mesa, AZ. Patrick has created a whole slew of models of other major metro Phoenix buildings for use by Google Earth fans. To view more of Patrick’s work, click here.
Shhhh! Phoenix mulls silencing downtown trains
[Source: Jahna Berry, Arizona Republic, June 16, 2008] — Some homeowners get used to the nostalgia inspired by train whistles, but sleep-deprived hotel guests see things differently. At least that’s the worry of developers who want to silence nearly all train horns on a stretch of tracks on the southern end of downtown Phoenix. If they are successful, it would create Phoenix’s first railroad quiet zone. Phoenix joins several Arizona communities, including Flagstaff, Tempe, Gilbert, Sun City West, and Sun City Grand, that have grappled with train noise.
In Phoenix, the proposed quiet zone would impact Union Pacific trains that travel along Harrison Street between Third Avenue and Fourth Street. Several developers have plans to build hotels nearby. “Obviously, if people aren’t going to get a good night sleep, it’s going to cause people to complain,” said Dharmesh Patel, of Hansji Urban, which is affiliated with a California firm that has long-term plans to build a hotel near the historic Luhrs buildings downtown. “This is something that would concern any developer that’s building a hotel or selling a residential space.” [Note: To read the full article, click here.]