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Brandywine Realty Trust is developing Metroplex Two, a 280,000-square-foot office building in Plymouth Meeting, near Philadelphia. Strong job growth in the area has led to greater demand for more quality office space after years of limited construction.

Office vacancies are falling across the big metros of the Northeast as robust user demand outpaces the supply of new construction. Deliveries in the last year have primarily been limited to Class A, build-to-suit properties and mixed-use developments. Meanwhile, office tenants are seeking high-end amenities at favorable prices.

Nationally, the office vacancy rate stood at 16.8 percent in the second quarter, up slightly from 16.6 percent a year ago, according to real estate research firm Reis. Net absorption for the quarter totaled 3.2 million square feet, down from 3.9 million square feet a year ago. The average asking rent was $33.79 per square foot, up 2.2 percent on a year-over-year basis.

Approximately 11.1 million square feet of office space was under construction at the end of the second quarter across Philadelphia, New York and Boston, according to CoStar Group. Helped by approximately 8.3 million square feet of absorption in the second quarter, the average vacancy rate across all three markets was 8.1 percent.

Rather than undertake costly new ground-up construction projects, many developers are choosing to redevelop existing assets and efficiently incorporate office space into mixed-useprojects.

Coworking tenants occupied 54.2 million square feet of office space nationally at the end of the secondquarter, according to CoStar. In Philadelphia, New York and Boston, the tech and coworking sectors dominate office leasing and set the standard for Class A office development.

Key features of these spaces often include access to public transit and surrounding retail and restaurant options. Even single-tenant offices are moving away from classic cubicles in favor of flexible, or collaborative, environments where employees are not assigned to specific desks and can freely work wherever they feel comfortable.

Philly Market Undersupplied

A decade of minimal office construction in Philadelphia is driving up demand for new supply and putting upward pressure on rents.

According to CoStar, the vacancy rate in metro Philadelphia was 8.7 percent in the second quarter, with 784,000 square feet of net absorption. A lack of buildable land in the city proper has driven developers to the suburbs, and most of those projects are preleased before building begins.

Of the nearly 1.9 million square feet under construction during the second quarter across metro Philadelphia, approximately 221,000 square feet was speculative office space, or 12 percent of the total amount.

Demand for Class A office space in Philadelphia is high, but theres nothing out there for tenants that want new product, says Les Hagget, first vice president of advisory and transaction services at CBREs Philadelphia office. Even as the population has steadily grown, the city has maintained its character of passion and grit. Its a great place to live and work, and that increases the demand for great office space.

Higher education and medical facilities have historically led Philadelphias economic growth, but more recently there has been an uptick in demand from life sciences and biotech companies. Lab space is in especially high demand in the University City submarket, which includes The University of Pennsylvania, Drexel University, the University of the Sciences and the Restaurant School at Walnut Hill College.

Tenants in Philadelphias office market value amenities related to wellness and quality of life. Employees who walk and bike to work value onsite gyms with lockers and showers to change clothes before or after work. New construction and renovation projects are incorporating large windows for natural light, higher ceilings and larger rooms.

The supply of coworking and flexible office plans in Philadelphia has increased by 20 percent in the last year, and its only going to increase more, says Hagget. The good news is the demand for that type of space is keeping up with the new supply, and larger companies want to have a more flexible office space.

A joint venture between PREIT and Macerich recently launched Fashion District Philadelphia, a 900,000-square-foot mall redevelopment bringing dozens of shopping, dining and entertainment destinations to the Center City area. Within the development, coworking office providers REC Philly and Industrious will occupy 10,000 and 47,000-square-foot spaces, respectively.

Rents in Center City are growing 5.5 percent year-over-year, averaging $33 per square foot as of the second quarter. By comparison, CoStar reports that rent growth in Philadelphias central business district has averaged 3 percent annually for 15 years.

Keystone Property Group has begun construction on Sora West, a 427,333-square-foot mixed-use project in Conshohocken that will also include restaurant, retail and hotel space.

In the suburbs of Plymouth Meeting, Brandywine Realty Trust plans to develop Metroplex Two, a 280,000-square-foot Class A office building. The property will join the existing Metroplex One at the site, but construction will not move forward until an anchor tenant is secured, according to CoStar.

Building Skyward in NYC

As tech and coworking powerhouses absorb much of the highest-quality office space in New York City, developers in the area are turning to mixed-use projects and vertical construction to keep up with the demand for new space.

CoStar reports that New York Citys vacancy rate stood at 8.3 percent in the second quarter, with net absorption totaling 4.8 million square feet.

Meanwhile, approximately 27 million square feet of office space was under construction. The $26 billion Hudson Yards mixed-use development in Manhattan accounted for roughly half of that amount. The diverse mix of tenants preleasing space at Hudson Yards including BlackRock, Time Warner and Pfizer has spurred speculative construction and redevelopment of office space in the area.

The 1.9 million-square-foot Two Manhattan West office that is currently under construction is slated for completion in 2022. Moynihan Train Hall at the Penn Station Complex will offer 767,000 square feet of speculative office space catering to tech tenants by the end of 2020.

WeWork was the largest office tenant in the market in the metro area at the end of the second quarter, occupying more than 5 million square feet. The company recently leased 362,000 square feet at 437 Madison Avenue but will not move in until January 2021.

The tech boom is continuing this year, says Eric Anton, associate broker at Marcus & Millichaps New York City office. Tech companies are flexible, and they usually value amenities more than square footage. New York City has an extremely limited amount of land to build on, so building owners and developers are instead choosing to amenetize existing assets.

Outdoor amenities seem to be the most highly prized office features from the incoming millennial workforce, according to Anton. Developers are incorporating green space, balconies and terraces into Class A office buildings, along with indoor lounges and media rooms. Coffee bars, either staffed with baristas or automated, are another popular trend. Office gyms are in lowerdemand as condo and multifamily properties are increasingly supplying that amenity.

People didnt used to care as much about amenities in an office space, but now its super important, says Anton. I dont see a big pipeline of new product being delivered over the next few years, but thecoworking and tech sectors have driven demand for flexible workspace.

Silverstein Properties completed the development of 3 World Trade Center in June 2018. The 80-story, 2.5 million-square-foot tower is anchored by advertising media company GroupM, which occupies 700,000 square feet. Now, Uber is set to lease 300,000 square feet for a new headquarters office on seven floors of 3 World Trade Center.

The Related Companies is currently developing 50 Hudson Yards in Manhattan. The 2.9 million-square-foot building will be New York Citys fourth-largest commercial office tower when completed in 2022. Global investment firm BlackRock will relocate its corporate headquarters to the 58-story building, where it will occupy 850,000 square feet on 15 floors.

Boston Market On Fire

Growth in the education, technology and medical fields has led to strong tenant demand for flexible workspace in metro Boston. In particular, the life sciences and coworking sectors are generating a significant amount of leasing activity.

The Boston office market is on fire, says Aaron Jodka, managing director of client services at Colliers Boston office. Vacancies havent been this low since the fallout of the dot-com bust. Coworking has been a massive disruptor in the Boston area, and mixed-use is primarily driving new construction.

CoStar reports that Bostons office vacancy rate registered 7.3 percent in the second quarter, with net absorption totaling 2.7 million square feet. Wayfair, DraftKings and Verizon Wireless were among the major space lease signings in 2018 while tech and coworking firms accounted for half of all leasing in Boston, says Jodka.

From late 2018 to mid-2019,WeWork absorbed approximately 1.6 million square feet of office space, and the coworking giant is now the second-largest tenant in Boston behind Fidelity Investments.

Boston has access to a workforce of 250,000 college graduates from world-renowned institutions such as MIT, Harvard and Boston University, says Jodka. This, along with an abundance of new residential housing, has prompted new office construction throughout the city, with an increasing number of those developments being speculative in nature.

There was approximately 10.1 million square feet of office space under construction in the Boston metro area at the end of the second quarter. Of that total figure, approximately 4.3 million square feet wasspeculative space.

New developments are responding to a high demand for quality-of-life office amenities such as gyms, bike storage and green space. The workforce is driving demand for shared conference facilities, coffee lounges and especially access to public transit.

Millennium Partners is developing the Winthrop Center, a more than 1 million-square-foot mixed-use development in the Financial District, which will include 750,000 square feet of office space as well as residential and retail tenants. The developer is expected to deliver the project in early 2022.

HYM Development Group is developing One Congress, a 1 million-square-foot office tower in the Bulfinch Crossing mixed-use development. When construction is complete in 2023, financial services firm State Street Corp. will anchor the tower with a 510,000-square-foot lease for 15 years.

Office tenants in Boston are hyper-focused on making their employees experience the best it can be, says Jodka. The latest differentiator in the amenities arms race is access to food halls. Since most dedicated office assets are not able to accommodate that kind of service themselves, mixed-use leasing is the name of the game today.

By Alex Patton. This article originally appeared in the October 2019 issue of Northeast Real Estate Businessmagazine.

Link:
Developers Adapt to Tight Office Market in Northeast - REBusinessOnline

Onni Group president Rossano de Cotiis and a rendering of 369 West Grand Avenue (Credit: Brininstool+Lynch)

Onni Group has secured another huge loan for its latest Chicago endeavor, a 41-story residential tower in River North.

The developer has secured a $150 million construction loan from Goldman Sachs, Cook County records show. This is the second large loan Onni Group has taken out this year for a property in the Chicago area.

Though the company has made waves on the West Coast, they are now investing significantly into the Chicago residential market. In July, the company took out a $165 million refinance loan from Citibank for the first tower in its Old Town Park megaproject, which has the citys priciest rental listing at $45,000 a month. That loan replaced a former $110 million construction loan from 2017 from Wells Fargo.

The project at 369 W. Grand Avenue, which replaced a vacant hardware store at 353 W. Grand Avenue, broke ground earlier this year and is currently under construction. Called The Grand, it adds to the spate of new apartment buildings the Vancouver-based firm is working on near the river, including a 373-unit building in West Loop and a massive potential development project at 900 North Halsted on Goose Island.

The $150 million loan will aid the construction of the 41-story building, which will have a retail space on the ground level, 250-space parking garage and 356 units rising above the River North area. The facade will be made of glass-clad panels and recessed balconies the architect of the project, Brininstool + Lynch, said on their website.

The project went through many phases and was initially rejected by Alderman Bendan Reilly (42nd) in 2015. The revised plan, which passed this fall, includes more green space. Onni paid just under $9 million to acquire the land in 2012.

Goldman Sachs and Onni Group did not immediately return requests for comment.

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Onni Group lands big loan for 41-story River North tower - The Real Deal

WELLSBURG At Tuesdays Brooke County Commission meeting, the curator of the Brooke County Museum voiced the museum boards displeasure in the demolition of the former Millers Tavern.

Ruby Greathouse told the commission the museum board has received numerous calls and complaints about the buildings removal at the corner of Main and Sixth streets and members want to make clear they had opposed the demolition.

Theyre distressed by whats occurred, Greathouse said.

As she spoke, crews were poised to remove its remaining supports, including steel beams added in later years.

Greathouse noted the two-story building was named a National Historic Landmark in 1978 before being named, among hundreds of other structures in the citys downtown business section, part of a National Historic District in 1982.

Built in 1797 at the corner of Main and Sixth streets, its said to have offered food and lodging to visitors sailing to and from Wellsburg on the nearby Ohio River, some traveling as far as New Orleans.

In the 1930s it became the Wellsburg Eagles Lodge and in 1973 it became home to the countys museum until 2012, when the museum was moved to 704 Charles St. because it offered more space.

The commissioners said the building played a role in the citys history but hadnt been preserved in its original state and couldnt be used as part of the judicial annex they plan to build onto the nearby county courthouse.

Tim Ennis, the commissions president, said the buildings removal was needed to support progress, just as many structures were razed to allow the construction of state Route 2 through Wellsburg.

I think John Henderson (who built the tavern) would be amazed it was still there. If he and our countys founding fathers knew its demolition was needed for the county to advance, theyd say, take it.

Plans call for the annex to include all of the countys courts, including the magistrate court, which was moved to the third floor of the Community Bank building when the courthouses ground floor was flooded in 2004.

Since then concerns about that section of the bank building meeting state fire codes and handicap accessibility have spurred a desire to relocate it again.

Last week the commissioners announced plans to return the magistrate court to the courthouse while they seek a loan for the project, which has been estimated at $5 million to $7 million.

Greathouse noted an official with the state Division of Culture and History warned the commission in 2016 that razing the building could prevent them from securing federal money for the addition under the National Historic Preservation Act.

Ennis said he didnt know if that is true. He said the demolition itself was funded with county money.

Ennis said the job went to Stash Trucking of Uniontown, Pa., which submitted a bid of $37,000, significantly lower than the other bids because the contractor knew the value of the sandstone blocks of the buildings foundation and original wood inside.

The contractor gets everything (from the razed building), he said.

Ennis said no artifacts belonging to the museum were taken, and Greathouse confirmed the building was no longer being used for storage when the demolition occurred.

Greathouse expressed disappointment the commissioners didnt retain some of the original material for display or use in the addition, noting such a move was suggested by the state Division of Culture and History.

After talking to Greathouse following the meeting, county Commissioner Stacey Wise said she asked if the museum board will provide information and photos for an area of the annex depicting the buildings use and development.

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Demolition of historic building in Wellsburg is opposed - The Daily Times

The Boston home where late mobster James Whitey Bulger and his gang buried three of their victims may be torn down to make way for a new residential development.

The Boston Globe reported Tuesday that the Boston Landmarks Commission recently received an application to demolish the 1,975-square-foot (180-square-meter) two-story South Boston home to make way for a new four-unit townhouse style development with eight garaged parking spots.

The previous asking price of $3.5 million was lowered to $3,395,000, and the property is currently under agreement, according to Redfin.com.

The home, which Bulger called "The Haunty, was once owned by the brother of a Bulger associate.

During Bulger's racketeering trial, a witness said he saw Bulger kill three people in the house. Their bodies were buried in the basement, which had a dirt floor at the time. In 1985, when the house was about to be sold, the bodies were exhumed and reburied elsewhere.

Bulger was convicted in 2013 for his role in the deaths of 11 people, including the three buried in the house. He was killed in a federal prison last October at age 89.

The Boston Landmarks Commission has 10 calendar days to review applications to demolish properties to determine whether they have historic significance."

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South Boston house where Whitey Bulger buried 3 victims faces demolition, 4-unit townhouse going up in its pl - MassLive.com

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) The former home of the Detroit Pistons is in the process of being torn down.

The Palace of Auburn Hills will be torn down to make way for corporate redevelopment.

Residents say it's bittersweet. The palace held a special place in the hearts of people who watched the Pistons play there, along with other special events.

"It is sad," said Dennis Haines from Shelby Township. "I took my son there to see the Globe Trotters once. A lot of memories of firsts for him. It is sad."

The city manager of Auburn Hills says taking down the lettering on the outside of the building is the start of a six-month demolition process.

The first phase, which is already underway, also includes removing items inside of the building, like sets.

In January, the building itself is expected to come down, although developers have not yet applied for a demolition permit.

March is expected to mark phase three, which includes taking down steel framing and concert walls. Once that is completed, phase four, which will occur sometimes in spring 2020, will fill in the excavated hole.

There are plans to turn the space into offices for research and technology. However, there is no timeline yet on when the rebuild will be happening.

Originally posted here:
News The Palace of Auburn Hills: What to know about demolition plans 11:11 AM, Dec - WXYZ

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (localmemphis.com) Local 24 News political analyst and commentator Otis Sanfordshares his point of view on the Union Row development.

If youre driving along Union Avenue these days, allthat noise youre hearing is the sound of progress. Demolition equipment isbusy bringing down one vacant structure after another from Fourth Street toDanny Thomas Boulevard and possibly beyond.

The coming attraction to replace all that blight isUnion Row a $1.1 billion development consisting of plenty of retail andoffice space, hundreds of hotel rooms, and at least one and possibly twogrocery stores.

Public incentives to the tune of some $185 million havebeen approved to make the Union Row development a reality. And it appears to befull speed ahead for all of the government entities to sign off on the project.

Weve been talking about this development for severalmonths, and the key movers and shakers behind the project have been thoroughlyvetted by the Institute for Public Service Reporting at the University ofMemphis. While some of them have been involved in numerous legal disputes,nothing has been uncovered so far that says Union Row is pie in the sky.

It is instead potentially a game changer for economicdevelopment not just downtown, but across Memphis. So is the other massive development plannedfor the Pinch District.

Obviously, none it of means a cure for poverty orother ills plaguing the city. But that sound of demolition on Union is a sweetsound indeed. And thats my point of view.

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The sound of demolition on Union is a sweet sound, says Otis Sanford - WATN - Local 24

MONETT, Mo. Founded in 1887 the town of Monett, like many communities, was built along the railroad tracks.

But right next to those tracks just happens to be Kelly Creek, a waterway that's played just as big a part in the town's history as the railroad industry.

The Kelly Creek channel runs parallel to downtown's main street, Broadway, and is a block to the south of the business district between the stores and the railroad tracks.

The creek is surrounded by masonry walls but during heavy rains it overflows its banks and over the years has made its way into those businesses, mainly between Third and Sixth streets, causing millions of dollars in damage.

In 2016 for instance the creek rose three feet in just 45 minutes, leaving six feet of water along Broadway.

It's been a problem for as long as folks here can remember.

"When we do have a flood it's a typical flash flood," explained Monett city administrator Dennis Pyle. "It comes very quickly and recedes very quickly."

"It's not a very pleasant experience," adds Bernice Morris, the owner of Fashion Crossroads in downtown Monett for 50 years. For half a century she's seen a lot of floods come and go and get as high as eight inches along her walls.

She wouldn't mind seeing something done about it.

"If you didn't have to worry about sandbagging or receiving a call at night that the water's rising that would be a wonderful thing," she said.

Well now there's hope for at least a partial solution.

After 10 years and four attempts at getting federal funds, Monett will start taking bids on December 17th to demolish four structures in the flood-plain area and turn it into green space. The areas include the city's own public works building, an old VFW and hotel building, an agri-center, and perhaps most importantly, a trailer park.

"What we look at first is trying to save people's lives," said Bonnie Witt-Schulte, the director of the Monett-Lawrence County Emergency Management Office. "Those trailers will no longer be there and we won't have that risk."

There have been fatalities over the years, and while the half-million dollar green space, located next to an already existing pavilion and park, won't solve all the flooding problems there is a consensus that it will help.

"We're still going to see that flooding but we'll see less of an impact to people's lives and property," Witt-Schulte said.

"Without those buildings being there we believe the flooding will not be as severe as it has been in the past," Pyle added.

The city did consider other options such as re-routing Kelly Creek.

"That was very expensive. Well over six million dollars," Pyle said.

Mother nature has already started part of the demolition work as the old Frisco hotel and VFW building has been falling apart due to storm damage. The latest collapse came last week and fencing has been put up around the structure to keep people and cars out of danger.

Monett is known as a resilient town as residents here have endured tornadoes and floods in the past only to rebuild and press on.

But when asked what natural disaster tends to have the biggest emotional toll on the town Witt-Schulte didn't hesitate with her answer.

"Floods tend to have more of a negative effect on people especially when it's repetitive in nature," she said. "And that's what it is for us."

The project is 75 percent funded by FEMA with the city responsible for raising the other 25 percent.

Officials say they hope to have the green space completed by August 2020.

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Monett, Mo. soon will start flood-plain demolition of downtown buildings - KY3

Bob Ball, who runs H&R Salvage of Mitchell, is in the business of destroying blades, something he says hes already doing with success in Iowa, where the issue has become a hot topic with increasingly aging blades.

Ball is already leading the demolition and burying of turbine blades in Lake Mills, Iowa, working out agreements to cut up old General Electric turbine blades and putting them into a Waste Management landfill.

They dont let just any hillbilly get their blades and cut them up, he told the Davison County Planning Commission. Im the most successful of anyone they know for chopping them up.

On Tuesday, the Davison County Planning Commission approved H&R Salvage to expand its existing operation to dismantle wind turbine blades. Final approval will be considered by the Davison County Commissioners on Dec. 10. The county does not have to rule on the landfill decisions.

Meeting with the Davison County Commission earlier on Tuesday, Mitchell Public Works Director Kyle Croce and Street and Sanitation Superintendent Kevin Roth said theyve been approached by H&R Salvage to put up to 700 tons of old wind turbine blades from Wessington Springs into its landfill.

Those blades would be cut down to 50-foot pieces and eventually down to 3-by-7-foot sections and would be placed in a ravine at Mitchells Old Landfill, which is located at 2801 E. Havens St. (Mitchells current 160-acre landfill, located southeast of the city on 257th Street, would not be taking wind turbine pieces, the city officials said.)

Those turbine pieces are made of non-toxic fiberglass and essentially dont decay or disintegrate over time. Its that potential white elephant factor that makes them a burden when theyre no longer usable for wind turbines, drawing the concern of Davison County Commission Chairwoman Brenda Bode.

Youre burying something that will never go away, Bode said. This is taking up land, making a footprint that is never going to be used. We need to do some due diligence.

Currently, Mitchell takes commercial trash and garbage, rubble and building debris for $36 per ton. Croce and Roth said they would consider a fee of $65 per ton for commercial waste outside of the landfills general five-county service area.

NextEra Energy owns the Wessington Springs Wind Energy Center, which has 34 turbines and has been in commercial operation since 2009. Earlier this year, NextEra began work to replace the previous 77-meter blades with longer, 91-meter blades, which can capture more wind energy and convert it to electricity with more efficiency. Blades usually weigh between 14 and 19 tons.

Croce said the city has not yet made any commitments to take the blade pieces, and said they want to have the plans approved by Davison County. Roth also said the city is changing the permitting on its old landfill to allow for up to 5,000 tons of garbage in a year, starting on Jan. 1. Currently, the landfill is permitted for 500 tons.

Thats why were considering the higher fee, Croce said. We want to deter haulers from coming in and using our landfill. We want them to be using the landfills in their contracted area.

Bode said that neither the city nor the county has the money for another landfill, so the decisions on how much material Mitchell is willing to take needs to be weighed carefully.

Is it worth filling it up with wind turbines? Everyone wants someone else to take their garbage, she said.

Commissioner John Claggett alluded that wind energy companies have been shopping around to various municipalities and counties to find places to take their old blades. Sioux Falls, for example, stopped allowing turbines to be dumped at the citys landfill, but only after two Iowa wind farms dumped more than 100 turbine blades, each measuring more than 120 feet long, the Argus Leader reported.

Ball said the South Dakota Department of Environment and Natural Resources generally wont let landfills take out-of-state turbines. He said he will only take 12 blades per day at its salvage location just west of Mitchell, because thats as much as his employees can get through in a days work. In Iowa, they are buried in a large pit, Ball said, and thousands of blades have been broken down to the point past recognition.

Its a lengthy process but once its done, its done, said Ball. These blades are going to have to go somewhere for a long time.

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City, county prepare to allow wind turbine demolition business - The Daily Republic

Detroit Starting Friday, Interstate 75 will temporarily closein both directions for a weekend demolition of three road bridges, officials said.

The Bridging North America projectwill close I-75 from Springwells to Clark streets while crews begin work on the Michigan interchange for the Gordie Howe International Bridge Project. The project will require demolition on bridges at Springwells, Livernois and Clark.

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Work will start at 11 p.m. Friday;lanes will re-open by 5 a.m. on Monday, officials said.

The following bridges will remain open to winter 2020 before work commences: Green Street, Waterman Street, Dragoon Street, Junction Avenue and West Grand Boulevard, officials said.

Local traffic can to exit northbound I-75 at Springwells and enter northbound I-75 at Clark. Southbound I-75 traffic can exit at Clark and enter southbound I-75 at Springwells.

West Fisher Service Drives between Springwells and Clark, on both sides of the interstate, will remain open.

Traffic traveling toward Detroit from Toledo on I-75 will be directed to I-275 north to Interstate 96, then I-96 east to reconnect with northbound I-75.

Traffic traveling to Toledo from Auburn Hills on I-75 will be directed to take I-96 west to Interstate 275, then I-275 south in order to reconnect with southbound I-75.

Traffic exiting the Ambassador Bridge toll plaza and traveling to Toledo will be directed to take I-96 west to I-275 south in order to connect with southbound I-75.

srahal@detroitnews.com

Twitter: @SarahRahal_

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I-75 to close in southwest Detroit for bridge demolitions this weekend - The Detroit News

A time capsule will be uncovered underneath the Communications Center when the UI begins demolition in 2020.

The Communication Center is seen on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. The Center is the former location of the UI School of Journalism and The Daily Iowan newsroom. The Board of Regents have voted to raze the building.

Katie Goodale

The Communication Center is seen on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. The Center is the former location of the UI School of Journalism and The Daily Iowan newsroom. The Board of Regents have voted to raze the building.

Katie Goodale

Katie Goodale

The Communication Center is seen on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. The Center is the former location of the UI School of Journalism and The Daily Iowan newsroom. The Board of Regents have voted to raze the building.

Demolition of the University of Iowa Communications Center, which is more than a half-century old, will uncover a time capsule placed beneath the buildings floorboards 33 years before the capsule was supposed to be retrieved.

Built in 1953, the Communications Center formerly housed both the journalism school and The Daily Iowan. The building is slated for demolition after graduation in spring 2020, said Wendy Moorehead, strategic communications manager of UI Facilities Management, and the crew will hand off the unopened capsule to the journalism school following its recovery.

Moorehead said that construction fencing will be implemented in January, asbestos abatement on the Communications Center will occur through March, and the actual demolition of the building will begin in May. The budget for the project is $970,000, she added.

Substantial completion will occur in early August, Moorehead said. Permanent restoration of the site into a greenspace with pedestrian plaza will occur under a separate project in 2021.

RELATED: Bidding farewell to The Daily Iowans old home in the Communications Center

The DI reported in 1953 that the time capsule was slated to contain manuscripts, equipment items such as film and tape, and the script of a movie.

Former UI journalism professor Edward Mason was quoted in a 1950s DI article stating that the time capsule aimed to present an interesting and meaningful picture of the mass-media world of 1953 for the communications profession of 2053.

Not only will it provide record of today, but it will also mirror our hopes and aspirations for the future, Mason said at the time.

Longtime former DI Publisher Bill Casey said that it was time for the aging building to be torn down.

It was a great location, but in the summer it was too hot, and in the winter it was too cold, Casey said. It leaked when it rained, but great work was done out of there through the hard work at The Daily Iowan.

The center was poorly built and had temporary walls, Casey said, so the DI was moved to the Adler Journalism Building following the buildings construction in 2005.

I remember conversation about the time capsule that existed underneath the Communications Center and what was possibly in it, Casey said. There are surely old copies of the DI, but Im not sure about what else.

UI history Associate Professor Nick Yablon published a book about time capsules and their importance.

Yablon said the time capsule wouldnt technically be called a time capsule at all because of its location.

Instead, Yablon said, the object would be called a cornerstone, which requires the demolition of a building to be retrieved, while a time capsule does not. Nevertheless, he said the terms are typically interchangeable and witnesses can learn similar things from both.

We might learn about how students viewed their own present and life as a student in that year. It might contain predictions about the future, Yablon said. It would be interesting to see where our society lies compared to their predictions.

Yablon said that people criticized the production of time capsules in the 50s, and many wondered why sane people spent time and money on the object without understanding the importance of it.

We can use the past to legitimize parts of history and use memories to see how people viewed their own contributions to history, Yablon said.

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A glimpse into the past: UI will uncover time capsule with Communications Center demolition - UI The Daily Iowan