Town Pavilion Freshens Lobby With $5M Renovation

The 38-story Town Pavilion office building is undergoing what’s described as a $5 million renovation of its lobby and retail space to up its game from its 1980s roots.

The tower, which opened as the AT&T Town Pavilion in 1987, is 90 percent occupied and   owner Copaken Brooks wants to upgrade its common areas and fresh its look by adding  artwork to the mix.

“We’ve been planning and working toward these upgrades for several years, so we’re more than excited to be underway,” Jon Copaken, a principal at the firm, said in a press release.

“The objective is to make the lobby have art-like museum qualities to enhance its function as a Class A office entry.”

The work, which began last month, will transform the building’s five-story rotunda, lobby and other common areas by adding a concierge center, upgraded retail storefronts, video walls and upgraded security, according to the release.

You can see a video of how its expected to look here.

The Town Pavilion investment comes when the market for new downtown office projects is uncertain. Holds have been placed on two major building proposals, Strata at 13th and Main and Platform Ventures at 13th and Wyandotte.

Developer Vince Bryant continues his renovation of the historic Kansas City Star building at 17th and Grand into Grand Place, 190,000 square feet of office space and a 35,000 square-foot food hall and market.

And while the 18-story Waddell & Reed headquarters project is underway at 14th and Baltimore, its future tenancy is uncertain. The financial services firm was sold to an Australian global concern in December.

Town Pavilion opened in 1987 at 1111 Main St.

Mike Klamm, managing partner at CBRE, said the decision to upgrade Town Pavilion is similar to the recent major renovation of the former City Center Square building, now called lightwell.

“Like lightwell, building owners are recognizing new office tenants are demanding more from their office space in terms of aesthetics, security and healthy buildings,” he said.

The commercial real estate expert, who has been a regular participant in panels discussing the future of office space downtown, also believes the overhauls of the older towers won’t undercut potential new projects.

“I don’t think it circumvents it,” Klamm said. “It’s just a strategy to increase the asset’s position in the market. Taking it from an A-minus to an A-plus.”

The designer for the Town Pavilion renovation is Burns & McDonnell. J.E. Dunn is serving as general contractor on the project while AVI Systems will install the updated audio and visual equipment, according to the release.

“Cost effective materials have been chosen with durability and timelessness in mind, but how they are carved and sculpted add beauty and a new life to this iconic building on the skyline of Kansas City,” Trevor Hoiland, lead designer at Burns & Mac, said in a statement.

The work is expected to be completed this June. Retail tenants will remain open during the renovation.