News

$23.8M to prepare large West Michigan properties for development

Five sites across West Michigan have received nearly $24 million in state funding to prepare the sprawling properties for industrial and commercial redevelopment. That includes $17.5 million to help make a 237-acre property east of Grand Rapids shovel-ready for private investment.
Looking North

Developer Plans 526 Apartments at Massive Grand Rapids Factory Redevelopment

The Oak Brook, IL.-based commercial real estate investor plans to build two separate, four-story structures on the north and south end of the site at 1340 Monroe Ave. NW. Plans also call for a 627-space parking deck in the middle of the property between the two apartment buildings.
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GR neighborhood rebounds from failed developments with new sense of optimism

“We’re excited,” Shoemaker said. We went back to the drawing board and came up with new plans, and think it’s a really attractive project.”

Franklin Partners Executes Leases Totaling 164,388 SF at The Shuman Office Property in Naperville

Franklin Partners has executed leases totaling roughly 164,388 square feet at The Shuman, a five-story office building in Naperville.

Franklin Partners taking on large-scale renovation project at St. Louis-area office building

Franklin Partners launched its plans to renovate The Plaza in Clayton, an office building in Clayton, Missouri. Franklin Partners says that the transformation that is now underway recognizes today’s evolving office environment, placing priority on the tenant experience.

‘LONG TIME COMING’: Franklin Partners purchases 74-acre Site 36 in Wyoming for future industrial redevelopment

Franklin Partners LLC has purchased the sprawling former General Motors stamping plant in Wyoming known as Site 36 for $5.25 million and plans to build a new industrial development on the property.

GENERAL CONTRACTOR MCCARTHY RELOCATES TO NEW HQ IN ST. LOUIS

"McCarthy collaborated with building owner Franklin Partners to complete extensive interior and exterior renovations prior to its move-in. The property is located at 12851 Manchester Road".

SUBURBAN OFFICE VACANCY HITS ANOTHER RECORD HIGH

"Several were new leases for Class-A space, including Kellogg Co.'s agreement to occupy more than 42K SF in The Shuman at 263 Shuman Blvd. in west suburban Naperville".

FRANKLIN PARTNERS INKS NUMEROUS DEALS AT THE SHUMAN

Franklin Partners has solidified leases that will occupy over 164,388 square feet at The Shuman, a five-story office building located at 263 Shuman Boulevard in Naperville, Illinois.
A view of Franklin Partner's 1900 Spring Road in Oak Brook

GREATER CHICAGO BUILDING NEWS: PEOPLE & PROJECTS

An arial view of the atrium inside of Franklin Partner's The Shuman

HEARTLAND REAL ESTATE BUSINESS: OFFICE OWNERS TAKE CLUES FROM HOSPITALITY, MULTIFAMILY

The Shuman atrium rendering lands the front page on Heartland Real Estate Business and is detailed in the article “Office Owners Take Clues from Hospitality, Multi-family.”
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GLOBE ST: SUBURBAN OFFICES GETTING NEW LOOKS

CHICAGO—The future of the suburban office market depends on bringing the many complexes built in the 1970s and 1980s into the modern era. Some, like the McDonald’s campus in Oak Brook, will become mixed-use, but other owners believe their properties can still fulfill the needs and desires of today’s workforce.
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RE JOURNALS: NAPERVILLE OFFICE BUILDING HAS NEW NAME, NEW LOOK

After hinting at their plans in July, Franklin Partners has finally unveiled its redevelopment plans for The Shuman, the five-story office building at 263 Shuman Boulevard in Naperville, Illinois. The Shuman will become a suburban destination for multiple office tenants, offering extensive amenities designed to build community among building employees. Brought to life with Wright Heerema Architects, the new design will deliver urban office vibes.
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CONNECT CHICAGO: FRANKLIN PARTNERS REVAMPING FORMER OFFICEMAX HQ

Franklin Partners has unveiled redevelopment plans for the former OfficeMax headquarters in Naperville, IL. The 350,000-square-foot property at 263 Shuman Blvd., vacant since 2014, will be revamped as The Shuman, featuring a 30,000-square-foot amenity space designed to build community among building employees.
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TRUSTED INSIGHT: FORMER SCOTTRADE HQ BUILDING SOLD

Chicago-based real estate firm Franklin Partners has acquired the former headquarters building of Scottrade Financial Services in Des Peres. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. The property is valued at nearly $22 million. TD Ameritrade, which acquired Scottrade about a year ago for $4 billion, was the previous owner.

ST. LOUIS BUSINESS JOURNAL: CHICAGO FIRM BUYS FORMER SCOTTRADE BUILDING

The Corporate Hill IV acquisition marks the second in St. Louis for the buyer, which also owns the Plaza in Clayton.
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CPE: FRANKLIN PARTNERS CLOSES ON 2ND ST. LOUIS OFFICE ACQUISITION

Franklin Partners has acquired a Class A office building in the St. Louis metro area from Scottrade Financial Services. After The Plaza in Clayton, which the company bought in fall 2017, Corporate Hill IV represents Franklin’s second office acquisition in the area.
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STL TODAY: FORMER SCOTTRADE HQ BUILDING SOLD

Chicago-based real estate firm Franklin Partners has acquired the former headquarters building of Scottrade Financial Services in Des Peres.
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CPE: HOW ARE MILLENNIALS, GEN Z RESHAPING SUBURBAN OFFICES?

Creative office space and high-end amenities are typical of traffic-ridden, booming urban areas. Or maybe technology clusters in buzzing metros such as San Francisco, New York City or Seattle. However, an increasing number of Millennials and members of Generation Z are flocking to the suburbs, bringing the urban feel to unusual spaces.
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CONNECT: FORMER CHICAGO OFFICEMAX HQ SLATED FOR REDEVELOPMENT

Franklin Partners plans to undertake the revitalization of one of Chicago largest distressed suburban office properties. The company is partnering with Wright Heerema Architects and Bixby Bridge Capital to redevelop the former 350,000-square-foot OfficeMax headquarters at 263 Shuman Blvd. in Naperville.
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RE JOURNALS: FRANKLIN PARTNERS AND WRIGHT HEEREMA ARCHITECTS TO REDEVELOP FORMER OFFICEMAX HQ

Franklin Partners and Wright Heerema Architects will redevelop the former OfficeMax headquarters at 263 Shuman Boulevard in Naperville, Illinois. Franklin Partners, in a joint venture with Bixby Bridge Capital, acquired the property last week.

CHICAGO BUSINESS JOURNAL: FRANKLIN PARTNERS AND WRIGHT HEEREMA ARCHITECTS ANNOUNCE ACQUISITION AND REDEVELOPMENT OF FORMER OFFICEMAX HEADQUARTERS

Franklin Partners and Wright Heerema Architects announced today the redevelopment of the former OfficeMax headquarters at 263 Shuman Blvd. in Naperville. Franklin Partners, in a joint venture with Bixby Bridge Capital, acquired the property last week.
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REBUSINESS ONLINE: FRANKLIN PARTNERS, BIXBY ACQUIRE FORMER OFFICEMAX HEADQUARTERS IN SUBURBAN CHICAGO, PLAN REDEVELOPMENT

Franklin Partners, in a joint venture with Bixby Bridge Capital, has purchased the former OfficeMax headquarters at 263 Shuman Blvd. in Naperville with plans to redevelop the property.

PATCH: OFFICEMAX HQ DEVELOPERS TO BRING ‘FULTON MARKET’ TO NAPERVILLE

The OfficeMax headquarters in Naperville is set to undergo a dramatic transformation following its sale to an Illinois developer. The developer plans to revamp the 345,000 space to accommodate various tenants who they hope will attract millennials, according to Daily Herald.
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BISNOW: ONE OF THE SUBURBS’ HIGHEST PROFILE DISTRESSED OFFICE PROPERTIES HAS NEW OWNERSHIP, LIFE

Franklin Partners acquired OfficeMax's former Naperville headquarters and plans to redevelop the property to cater to the modern office worker. Franklin and Bixby Bridge Capital acquired the five-story, 354K SF building at 263 Shuman Blvd. last week. The sale price was undisclosed.

PR NEWSWIRE: FRANKLIN PARTNERS AND WRIGHT HEEREMA ARCHITECTS ANNOUNCE ACQUISITION AND REDEVELOPMENT OF FORMER OFFICEMAX HEADQUARTERS

Franklin Partners and Wright Heerema Architects announced today the redevelopment of the former OfficeMax headquarters at 263 Shuman Blvd. in Naperville. Franklin Partners, in a joint venture with Bixby Bridge Capital, acquired the property last week.
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GLOBE ST: SUBURBAN CORPORATE HEADQUARTERS GETTING REDESIGNS

Franklin Partners, in a joint venture with Bixby Bridge Capital, has just acquired the former OfficeMax headquarters at 263 Shuman Blvd. in Naperville, and plans to redevelop the 350,000-square-foot building as a socially-activated, multi-tenant property. It was initially developed in 1987 for AT&T and is one of many suburban corporate headquarters that needs a redesign to meet the needs of modern tenants.
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THE REAL DEAL: FRANKLIN PARTNERS BUYS FORMER OFFICEMAX HQ WITH PLANS TO REVAMP

Franklin Partners bought the former OfficeMax headquarters in Naperville, with plans to revamp the 350,000-square-foot property and lease it in smaller pieces.
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CHICAGO TRIBUNE: FRANKLIN PARTNERS BUYS FORMER OFFICEMAX HEADQUARTERS IN NAPERVILLE

A vacant Naperville building that was once the headquarters for OfficeMax will be redeveloped as an amenity-rich, multi-tenant office building expected to draw suburban millennials to the area.

NCTV17: FORMER OFFICEMAX BOUGHT BY LOCAL DEVELOPER

After being vacant for nearly four years, the former OfficeMax headquarters in Naperville has been bought by a developer. Franklin Partners, a Naperville-based developer, plans to revamp the 354,000 square-foot building off of Shuman Boulevard.
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BIS NOW: THE BIGGER PLAY IN FRANKLIN PARTNERS’ SUBURBAN OFFICE ACQUISITION IS THE LAND

While the money Franklin Partners paid for an Oak Brook office building pales in comparison to some of the eye-popping suburban office deals reported recently, the future value of the acquisition lies outside the building's doors.
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CRAINS: OAK BROOK OFFICE BUILDING SELLS FOR $18 MILLION

A Naperville real estate investor paid nearly $18 million for an Oak Brook office building, with plans to spruce it up and possibly build a big residential tower next door.
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THE DI WIRE: KBS REIT SELLS 16-STORY OFFICE BUILDING NEAR ST. LOUIS

KBS Real Estate Investment Trust, a publicly registered non-traded real estate investment trust, has sold the Plaza in Clayton, a 16-story office building in the St. Louis suburb of Clayton, Missouri.

CRE NEWS: KBS REIT SELLS SUBURBAN ST. LOUIS OFFICE BUILDING FOR $85.5Mln

KBS REIT Inc. has sold a 325,172-square-foot office building in suburban St. Louis for $85.5 million, or about $262.94/sf. Franklin Partners bought the building at 190 Carondelet Plaza in Clayton, Mo.
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ST. LOUIS BUSINESS JOURNAL: BIGGEST OFFICE DEAL IN A DECADE: PLAZA IN CLAYTON SOLD

It’s the largest real estate transaction in the local office segment since Fulcrum Asset Advisors LLC sold a four-building office portfolio in the Creve Coeur Corporate Center to JP Morgan Asset Management for $90.6 million in 2007.
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CPE: FRANKLIN PARTNERS BUYS ST. LOUIS TROPHY OFFICE

The 16-story Plaza in Clayton, which Franklin acquired in a partnership with Bixby, is considered to be one of the most desirable office assets in the city area.
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REBUSINESS ONLINE: FRANKLIN PARTNERS ACQUIRES 325,172 SF OFFICE BUILDING IN CLAYTON, MISSOURI

Franklin Partners has acquired The Plaza in Clayton, a 325,172-square-foot office building in Clayton, about nine miles west of St. Louis.
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GRBJ: STEELCASE SELLS PLANT SITE

Steelcase has sold an 885,781-square-foot plant in the area to a developer and investment firm with plans for the site.
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MLIVE: FORMER STEELCASE FACTORY WILL HAVE NEW OCCUPANTS IN PRODUCTION BY AUGUST

One of the largest factories and distribution centers in West Michigan – formerly owned by Steelcase Inc. -- soon will have a new occupant who will bring production back to the site in August.
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CPE: NEW KELLOGG SERVICE CENTER TO CREATE 600 JOBS IN GRAND RAPIDS

Kellogg, the multinational cereal maker headquartered in Battle Creek, MI, announced plans for a regional service center in Grand Rapids that is part of the company’s four-year restructuring and efficiency program known as “Project K.”
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MLIVE: DEVELOPMENT PUTS HISTORIC FACTORY NEAR DOWNTOWN BACK ON THE MARKET

The former Display Pack factory at 1340 Monroe Avenue NW was considered an ideal site for offices or apartments when Franklin Partners bought it for $7 million three years ago.
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RAPID GROWTH: FRANKLIN PARTNERS PLAN 16TH REDEVELOPMENT AT 1340 MONROE AVENUE NW

Don Shoemaker, managing partner at Franklin Partners, says the firm found the seven-acre, 375,000-square-foot building at 1340 Monroe Avenue NW the same way most of us find anything in 2014 – a Google search.
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GRBJ: CITY TAPS FIRM AS LEAD DEVELOPER FOR EX-GM PLANT SITE

A 92-acre industrial site in the area has a new lead developer. Chicago-based Franklin Partners has taken on the role for the former General Motors stamping plant in Wyoming at 36th Street and Buchanan Avenue SW, now known as Site 36.
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FOX 17: PLANS DEVELOPING FOR SITE OF FORMER GM PLANT

The potential development plans for an old General Motors site are becoming a little more defined.
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MLIVE: NEW DEVELOPER BROUGHT IN TO HELP SELL FORMER GM STAMPING PLANT SITE

After 3 and a 1/2 years on the market, the city of Wyoming is bringing in Franklin Partners LLC to help market the 85-acre parcel that was once home to one of General Motors Corp.'s largest metal stamping plant.
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MLIVE: COMPANIES MEETING CRITERIA CAN GET REDUCED PRICE TO BUILD ON FORMER GM PLANT SITE

Companies considering building at the former site of the GM Stamping Plant in Wyoming will now have a little more incentive do so after the City Council passed a resolution that allows for a streamlined purchasing process and potentially reduced sales prices.
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CRAINS: BP PUTS 85 ACRES UP FOR SALE IN NAPERVILLE

A sprawling swath of BP's Naperville campus is up for grabs, lining up another massive site in the Chicago suburbs ripe for redevelopment.
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MIBIZ: 2017 OUTLOOK: DON SHOEMAKER, FRANKLIN PARTNERS

At Site 36, we are looking to attract (advanced) manufacturing, bringing good jobs to Wyoming. We feel like the timing to be involved with a ‘shovel-ready’ site with rail and robust utilities that many users want will keep us busy in 2017.
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RE JOURNALS: FRANKLIN PARTNERS WELCOMES JAMES CLEARY AS PORTFOLIO PROJECT MANAGER

In this new role, Cleary will oversee all capital and tenant improvement projects, participate in due diligence for future asset acquisitions, supervise engineering new hires for future assets, and coordinate the development of best practices for building engineers throughout the firm and its buildings.