A long-vacant building on Florida Boulevard between Airline Highway and Wooddale Boulevard is being brought back into commerce by a local investor group led by real estate broker Jonathan Starns of Berkshire Hathaway Home Services-United Properties.
Starns and his partners acquired the building at 8225 Florida Blvd., along with the two acres of land on which it sits, from Patriot Properties for $1.15 million. In a separate transaction, they acquired an adjacent one-acre tract from its longtime owner, the Pugh family, for $300,000. Both deals closed earlier this month.
Starns already has a tenant lined up for the 30,000-square-foot building—a local company that plans to use the facility for its corporate headquarters. He says the site is ideal for the tenant, adding the adjacent lot will eventually be used for parking.
“Basically we’re just going in there and cleaning it up, changing out some paint, and stuff like that,” he says. “The building is in good shape.”
Starns declines to identify the company because it is not yet ready to announce the move. The glass-front and steel building is a classic example of mid-century modern architecture and was designed by legendary Baton Rouge architect A. Hays Town. It was on the market for nearly eight months before Starns group acquired it.
Starns and his partners decided to invest in the area, which admittedly has suffered from blight and neglect in recent years, for a several reasons. The price on the building was attractive and they already had a potential user for it.
Also, Starns says, Florida Boulevard remains a vital connector corridor through the city and has the potential for revitalization in the not-too-distant future.
“We feel it is central location in the parish and will always have easy access to anywhere you want to go in Baton Rouge,” he says. “And with Central and Livingston continuing to grow we feel there is a chance for some revitalization in that area and it really fits our tenant’s needs well for where they need to be.”
—Stephanie Riegel
