Construction slated to begin May 2017 with plans for completion in spring of 2018
Blackhawk Properties & Investments, LLC is preparing to begin construction of its new 550 Building in downtown Fort Lauderdale after the existing building on the property, formerly known as the Justice Building, is completely demolished at the end of this week. Construction is scheduled to begin in May.
Located at 550 S. Andrews Ave., the former 30,734-square-foot Justice Building was built in 1982 and served as a base of operations for some of Broward County’s leading law firms. Purchased by Blackhawk Properties & Investments, LLC for $3.6 million in 2013, the lot is adjacent to the new Broward County Judicial Complex at the northeast corner of Andrews Avenue and S.E. 6th Street, which boasts one of the highest pedestrian traffic counts in Broward County.
The site is currently undergoing preparations for construction of the 550 Building, an 86,257-square-foot, seven-story tower featuring six floors of office space and 7,500 square-feet of restaurant and patio space on the ground floor.
The class-A building will also feature a 663-space attached parking garage with an additional 14,000 square-feet of restaurant and retail space on the ground floor, which will be known as “The SOLO Shoppes,” an urban-friendly retail and restaurant plaza with both indoor and outdoor café seating areas. Completion is slated for spring of 2018.
“The 550 Building will be the first new office building in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s South of Las Olas (SOLO) District since 1989,” said Joseph Byrnes, a senior vice president with Berger Commercial Realty/CORFAC International, the exclusive leasing and property management firm for the 550 Building. “With the recent opening of the neighboring Broward County courthouse and new residential units popping up south of the New River, the area will especially benefit from the 550 Building’s restaurant and retail tenants.”
Berger Commercial Realty is currently in lease negotiations with two local restaurant operators for the building’s ground floor space. For the available office space, the firm is communicating with several local corporations interested in occupying two or more floors each.
Developers of the 550 Building include Kate Murphy of Collins Capital Partners, Thomas McDonald of Craven Thompson & Associates, and William Murphy of Douglas Management. The 550 Building is designed by the award-winning architectural firm of Falkanger, Snyder, Martineau and Yates (FSMY).
Along with Byrnes, Senior Vice President Steve Hyatt and Sales Associate Stephanie Bernota of Berger Commercial Realty are serving as the property’s exclusive leasing agents.
For more information about leasing at the 550 Building, contact Berger Commercial Realty at 954-358-0900.