Architecture firm renovates 1939 Hendricks Ave for new headquarters
Construction is nearing completion for the new headquarters of architecture and interiors firm Group 4 Design, Inc. at 1939 Hendricks Avenue.
Urban Partners Construction is the general contractor for the project.
The building has been shuttered since 2019, with a rear addition to the building condemned.
“I’m sure everybody probably thought at some point while they were driving up and down Hendricks, ‘Wow I wish someone would do something with that building,’” said Group 4 Design President and Architectural Design Principal Karie Kovacocy. “I think everybody in the San Marco Square area was hoping somebody do it and then when we got the opportunity, we just jumped at it.”
Construction and renovations on the building began in January of this year and Kovacocy said she expects the company to move in by the end of October. The firm will be moving from its current location on Prudential Drive.
“We love the historic neighborhood, the walkability,” she said. “And when we found a project that we could rehab, we felt like it was kind of the best solution all around. Being close to downtown, so we still have a presence in the urban core, but having a better work-lifestyle balance for employees, where they can walk to lunch and now they’ll be able to walk to the grocery store, we thought it would be a great location.”
The acquisition of the building was completed last November with developer Bill Ware, who is a 50 percent owner of the building in partnership with the architecture firm’s principals.
As a resident of San Marco, Ware said he is “vested and invested” in the community and its growth.
“I have a real keen interest and love for the San Marco area and being a developer, I’m always looking for opportunities,” he said.
Kovacocy said the aesthetic for the firm’s new headquarters will be mid-century modern to pay homage to the buildings 1950s origins, adding that construction has taken longer than expected because of unforeseen complications given the building’s condition.
“The building was closed up for so long that when we started demo, we found a lot of hidden issues,” she added. “So it did extend it but we knew that was gonna happen. Adaptive reuse is one of the disciplines that we’re committed to as a firm, so even though we may uncover a structural issue, we were committed to restoring it to its glory.”
By Michele Leivas
Resident Community News
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