Downtown Tucsonan - July/August 2008 - (Page 10) Vital Signs N e w Pa r a d i g m f o r 4 4 B r o a d way s e t s D r a m at i c S ta n d a r d By Thomas Whittingslow hat was once a nondescript Federal court annex at 44 East Broadway is being transformed into 30 high-end loft condominiums and four luxury penthouses. the renovation is entirely privately financed and, unlike some downtown dreams, there is no turning back. “we’re definitely getting this out of the ground,” says John dunn, of JoBaX, one of the partners in the project. “the sidewalk’s going to be done, there will be trees out front, and we’re planning on a grand opening in four weeks.” other principals include Greg Heibretter of Phoenix, and Managing Partner, James LeBeau, founder and president of standard capital in tucson. Historically, the LeBeau family has been instrumental in the development of such projects as the downtown Phoenix convention center, the camelback Inn Resort and spa and Biltmore Fashion Park. the dramatic changes made to the 44 East Broadway project will not only raise the bar for downtown residential living, it will also become a linchpin for future development by boosting downtown’s viability for future private investors. “this is no ordinary project: 44 East Broadway will be the first luxury condominiums ever to be built in the central heart of downtown tucson,” says Long Realty’s Melissa Black, who handles sales and marketing for the property. “we’re going to be among the first ones out of the ground.” 44 East Broadway is designed to include 3,718 sq. ft. of retail and restaurant space. the restaurant is designed with a massive curved wine rack, similar to McMahon’s steak House, and will accommodate both indoor and outdoor dining. “when we first walked in, we said, ‘this building has so much W info@creativetornado.com more potential,’” said dunn, who inherited the plans from local architect Bob wiener. dunn was originally called in to work on the restaurant, but due to his experience in restorations he was brought in as a partner. dunn decided to make several changes and hired scottsdale architectural designer Ed Keeney. the most significant addition was the 6,600 sq. feet of livable area made up by four two-story penthouses, which replaced a plan for a rooftop pool. the new pool, patterned after a blue-bottomed, fiber-optics pool in Morocco, was moved to the second floor, above the restaurant and retail building. Keeney also eliminated the balconies on the lower floors, increasing the building’s living area by 2,200 sq. feet per floor, while giving residents a dramatic 18-foot, floor-toceiling, glass-and-steel curtain wall that captures massive views of downtown, the cathedral, and the mountains. Keeney is new to the tucson scene, but has done extensive design work for the Point in Phoenix. “In this economy, we are gathering projects that, just two years ago, architects would have deemed hopeless, and turning them into viable opportunities,” says Keeney. “what I’ve envisioned for 44 East Broadway is that it becomes a paradigm for the revitalization of downtown tucson.” since the building was not designated as a historic structure, it did not qualify for the Façade Improvement Program. the only public concession was an allowance to plant trees between the sidewalk and the curb along Broadway, funded by the Mayor’s Back to Basics Program. the wider, landscaped setback will provide shade for outdoor dining in the proposed restaurant. while no specific names have been mentioned, Melissa Black says that there have been serious inquiries. according to dunn, “the restaurateur we chose will not only serve the dining needs of our 10 downtown tucsonan.july/august.08 http://www.creativetornado.com
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