Office Envy: Kickernick Spec Office Suites
Company: Kickernick Building Spec Office Suites by United Properties | HQ: 430 N. 1st Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55401 | Size: 20,877 square feet | Designer: Studio BV | Contractor: Crawford Merz and Anderson CC | Photographer: Corey Gaffer Photography
The future of office space is likely somewhere between custom-designed and coworking. That’s what United Properties is banking on in Minneapolis’ Warehouse District. “People want flexibility,” says Carrie Eggleston, senior development manager with United Properties. “A lot of tenants are looking for ready-to-go turnkey and shorter-term leases, and we’re able to provide that with spec suites.” Built in 1896, the Kickernick Building has a rich history embedded in its brick and wood structure, which, in years past, housed the North Star Boot & Shoe Co. and the Kickernick Lingerie Co. United Properties teamed up with local design firm Studio BV to build out four spec office suites, roughly 3,000 to 10,000 square feet each, on the sixth and seventh floors. The suites fulfill modern needs, like open collaboration areas, while paying homage to the building’s original wood columns, birch floors, and red brick walls. To appeal to renters in a variety of industries, the spec suites offer large and small workstations and conference rooms. Each suite features a café with work booths and lounge areas. “People are mobile, but you want to be able to tailor your work experience to have flexibility and wellness,” says Betsy Vohs, Studio BV founder and CEO. “We tried to provide that level of diversity but also make it generic enough where both can happen.”
maple floors. The burnt-orange built-in is a custom feature that expands the entry into a social space.
