Esterly Schneider & Associates Inc.

Esterly Schneider & Associates is the architect for developer Vaughn Prost’s redevelopment of the Heer’s Building into Heer’s Tower Springfield Office Building. Engineers for the project at 138 Park Central Square are Malone Finkle Eckhardt & Collins and Larson Engineering of Missouri. A. Deckard Interiors is the interior designer and Great Southern Bank is the lender for the project, which has an estimated price tag of $20 million, according to previous SBJ coverage.

The former Heer’s department store building is one of the largest structures on Springfield’s public square. It was built in 1915, and the department store closed in the mid 1990s. Redevelopment of the structure will change it from a department store to a first-class office building with retail on the main level and the mezzanine. The first phase of design includes total restoration of the building, including terra cotta restoration, window replacement, tuck-pointing, core space design, tower restoration and building additions. The building will be brought up to current codes, but it will maintain its historic integrity. Mid-2006 is the estimated completion date.