Real estate management company buys modernist Phoenix building for headquarters

PHOENIX — A real estate management company is breathing new life into a downtown Phoenix office building that was designed by one of the area’s most notable modernist architects.

Chamberlin+ Associates Real Estate Management announced in a press release Wednesday it would restore the 21,000-square-foot building located near the intersection of Seventh Street and Thomas Road to serve as the company’s new headquarters.

Designed by Al Beadle, the original building was completed in 1970 and featured a first-floor area reserved for parking that gave the building the appearance of it floating above the ground, along with floor-to-ceiling windows on the two main floors placed at the second and third levels.

“Our new corporate headquarter space presented us with the opportunity to design an office that elevates our employee’s experience and honors one of Arizona’s most respected architects,” Dave Chamberlin, owner of the real estate management company, said in the release.

“The new space will fit our growing team as we continue to open more jobs and attract top talent in the multifamily industry.”

Along with reimagining the first floor as a miniature metropolis with a programmed zone filled with connection, activity and visual interest, upgrades as part of the restoration process to other parts of the building will help reduce its power consumption, according to the release.

This includes a solar array on the roof that is expected to offset approximately 60% of the building’s power consumption, according to the release, and the floor-to-ceiling windows being replaced with thinsulate filmed double-glazed panes to further reduce power consumption while keeping Beadle’s light-filled, working interior intact.

“The design process with the Chamberlin team, and Restoration Rewind the construction company, allowed us to create a plan that will honor a reputable figure in Arizona design,” Christoph Kaiser, owner of Phoenix-based design firm Kasierworks, said in the release.

“Over 50 years after the completion of 500 E. Thomas, the Al Beadle building will receive a renovation that celebrates its original architect’s vision while connecting the building more integrally to the city that he helped build.”

The real estate management company, founded in San Francisco in 1957 before moving its headquarters to the Valley in 1990, has managed over 30,000 units across Arizona and other southwestern states in the last 30 years, according to the release.

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