Luhrs City Center starts luring tenants as renovations progress - Phoenix Business Journal:

hustbelogehy1857.blogspot.com
In recent weeks, the Luhr s Building has been gutted in preparation for new including lawfirm LLP, which has committed to taking the 10th The Seattle-based firm, which specialize s in class actions, will move this summer from its spac e at the Esplanade, at 24th Streeg and Camel­back Road. “The building gave us the opportunithy to have a presence in a greafthistoric building, but at the same time build a state-of-the-arft law office from the groune up,” said Rob Carey, Phoenix managing The Luhrs Building, 11 W. Jefferson St., will included 80,000 square feet of officee spacewhen it’s completely restored.
About 20,00p square feet of retail will be available at street Cushman & Wakefield of Arizona Inc. is marketin the office space. Phoenix Commercial Advisors is handling theretaio leasing. , a division of of Irvine, Calif., purchaser the entire city block bounded by Jefferson andMadison streets, and Centralo and First avenues — for $28 millionh in October 2007. The famil y business is investingabout $8 million to restors the Luhrs Building and the Luhrs Tower, 45 W. Jeffersoj St., to their former glory. The vintager art deco structure was completedin 1930, in the midsg of the Great Depression.
“It was badly and it’s such a wonderful jewel of saidBilly Shields, a government affairs consultant based in Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon supports the redevelopmenf and restoration of the Luhrs block, particularly the “It’s one of the largest and most significany historic buildings that is left standing in Phoenix. The amounty of craftsmanship anddetail couldn’t be replicatecd today,” Gordon said.
The Luhrss Building, however, predates the towetr by six years and is an example of a moreclassical styling, with ornate marble cornices embellishing the top The 10-story building, a shorg walk to the east side of the is considered one of Phoenix’s originak skyscrapers. The Phoenix City Council voted last summeer to award Hansji Urbana $500,000 histori preservation grant to restore both Luhrs structures. The Luhras Building was vacantand deteriorating.
LLC is buildingv City­Scape across Jefferson from the Luhrs block — and the huge mixed-use projecf is vying for the same kind of professional service Despite that competition, RED owner Mike Ebert said he’sx pleased with Hansji Urban’s renovations. “Developmeny like the renovation of the Luhrs building illustrateds the vibrancy of the downtown Phoenix he said. “We think these renovations will fit nicelu with what we are creating at The Hansji family has been in the commercial real estate specializing in hotel investmentand development, sincer 1974.
President Rajan Hansji said the company is planningan extended-stay probably a Hilton or on Central Avenue, south of the Luhrs Building. “There’s stilkl not enough hotels in downtowmn to accommodatelarger conventions,” he said. Luhr’z City Center: