Gresham, Smith and Partners moving Downtown

[thelakelander]

By Karen Brune Mathis, Managing Editor

Suburban-based Gresham, Smith and Partners will move into the top floor of One Enterprise Center Downtown by year-end.
The architecture, planning and design firm's Jacksonville office will move from the Concourse at 5220 Belfort Road to the entire 22nd floor at 225 Water St., with a 360-degree view of the St. Johns River and Downtown.

It will bring nearly 40 licensed architects and interior designers to the urban core.

"It's important for us as a firm to be a part of what's going on in Jacksonville right now," said Trevor Lee, who becomes managing principal of the Jacksonville office Oct. 1. He will succeed Joe Thompson, who will remain with the firm through the end of the year.

Lee said Gresham, Smith and Partners leased space in the suburbs for 17 years.

Full article: http://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/showstory.php?Story_id=546158

[Tacachale]

Nice!

[Wacca Pilatka]

Good.  Pleased to see some more life in that specific building too.

[Captain Zissou]

The longer article mentioned that the overall downtown office vacancy rate has fallen to below 20%.  That is great news and should bode well for increased rates and new construction on the horizon. 

[Sentient]

Good.  Pleased to see some more life in that specific building too.

They say occupancy was down to 41% a few months ago.  Rents are lower today than in 2002.

http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2015/06/05/one-enterprise-center-foreclosed-on.html

[brainstormer]

This is great news! I appreciate the businesses who are joining the resurgence in downtown office occupancy. Might be a fun MetroJax article to highlight all of the moves to downtown in the past couple of years. It kind of started with Everbank. Pretty soon Citizens will be making their move as well.

[thelakelander]

^Good idea!

[CCMjax]

I've worked with Trevor before and he is a very bright young guy who recently became head of their Urban Design division.  They do a lot of hospital and medical design but it would be great if they really made a push here in Jacksonville in urban design as well.  Glad to see they are moving downtown, maybe others will follow.  How about it RS&H?