Uniland Development Company is welcoming a former tenant and partner back into its fold. Law firm Damon & Morey is close to signing-on for two floors, roughly 50,000 sq.ft., of office space at 200 Delaware Avenue. Damon & Morey would be moving from Cathedral Place located at 298 Main Street.
200 Delaware is the $63 million redevelopment of the former Dulski federal building. The revamped property will include a 150-room Embassy Suites hotel on the first seven floors, 128,000 sq.ft. of office space on floors 8 through 12, and 37 luxury residential units on the top three floors. Each use will have separate entrances and elevators, but will share many of the Embassy Suite features and services. The project is a Uniland and Acquest Development joint venture. Work is underway and is expected to be completed early next year.
The building Damon & Morey is vacating, 298 Main Street, was purchased and renovated by a partnership consisting of Uniland and the law firm in 1998. The property was acquired when Blue Cross vacated the site to occupy the former Sears building at 1901 Main Street that was rehabbed by Uniland and is now owned by Canisius College.
Cathedral Place, 298 Main Street. Photo by Nate Farnsworth.
298 Main was constructed in 1917 and features 98,000 sq.ft of space. Globe Market recently opened on the ground floor. In 1998, the Uniland/Damon & Morey partnership lost 298 Main Street to foreclosure. Kissling Interests purchased the property from Chase Manhattan Bank for $2.6 million in September 2001.
With the building’s anchor tenant departing, and Kissling’s strong track record of residential management and development, it would be an opportune time to convert the property to residential if the owner was so inclined. The L-shaped building fronts both Main Street and Cathedral Park, offering views of the waterfront, Ellicott Square, Guaranty Building and St. Paul’s Cathedral.
In other law firm news, Cellino and Barnes is moving from Court Street to take the top two floors of Main Place Tower. Property owner Main Liberty Group has been slowly chipping away at the office vacancies in the office and retail complex.
Prior to moving to 298 Main, Damon & Morey had offices in Main Place.
Dulski construction progress. Photo by John Carocci.