SOUTH BEND – Barnes & Thornburg has announced that it plans to move to a new five-story office building to be constructed in downtown South Bend, the first new office building construction in the business core in more than 20 years.
The full-service law firm has solidified its commitment to downtown South Bend by signing a 15-year lease for three floors in the building, which will be known as the “Barnes & Thornburg Building,” to be constructed at 201 S. Main St. Firm lawyers and staff are expected to move into the new space by the summer of 2021.
The firm will occupy 31,200 square feet and take up the second, third and fourth floors of the Barnes & Thornburg Building, which plans to feature a coffee shop and restaurant at street level. The project is being co-developed by Bald Mountain, LLC, Norris Equity Partners and Great Lakes Capital. The construction contract for the project has been awarded to Weigand Construction of South Bend. Construction will begin in spring 2019 and take 12-18 months.
“Barnes & Thornburg looks forward to continuing its longtime commitment to downtown South Bend and the greater community. We are excited that this lease enables us to contribute to and share in South Bend’s ongoing revitalization, and our attorneys and staff look forward to a bright future in our new home,” said Philip J. Faccenda, Jr., managing partner of the firm’s South Bend office. “Our new location enables us to continue to grow and support the needs of our clients throughout the area.”
A ceremonial groundbreaking took place on April 9 at the future building location. Remarks were made by South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg, Jeff Smoke of Great Lakes Capital and Faccenda.
Barnes & Thornburg will continue serving clients from its current location at 700 1st Source Bank Center, 100 N Michigan, until it moves into the new building.
The building’s co-developers are working with several partners to design the space, which will include fourth- and fifth-floor terraces that face the building’s west side.
“It is gratifying to see Barnes & Thornburg’s long-term dedication to a project that will accelerate South Bend’s position as a professional destination. In addition to development and investment, my friends at Norris Equity Partners and I are leasing a significant amount of space in the Barnes & Thornburg Building and look forward to contributing to South Bend’s momentum. We are also excited to be working on this project with local companies like Great Lakes Capital, Teachers Credit Union and Weigand Construction,” said Lou Hansell, managing member of Bald Mountain LLC.
Barnes & Thornburg has deep roots in South Bend. It is the product of a 1982 merger between two well-established Indiana law firms – South Bend-based Thornburg, McGill, Deahl, Harman, Carey & Murray and Indianapolis-based Barnes, Hickam, Pantzer & Boyd.
With more than 600 attorneys and other legal professionals, Barnes & Thornburg is one of the largest law firms in the country. The firm serves clients worldwide from 14 offices in Atlanta, California, Chicago, Delaware, Indiana, Michigan, Minneapolis, Ohio, Texas and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit us online at www.btlaw.com or on Twitter @BTLawNews.
