Last edited 4:15 p.m., March 17Spencer Fane Britte & Browne LLP has signed a 10-year lease with renewal options for over 12,000 square feet at Farmers Park. The move would roughly double the size of its Queen City office.
The Kansas City-based firm splashed on the Springfield scene
last June when it recruited six local partners with Husch Blackwell LLP and set up shop in temporary space at 3259 E. Ridgeview St. Spencer Fane has since added four more attorneys and three paralegals who previously worked for Husch Blackwell in Springfield, as well as two attorneys not from Husch.
Richard Walters, Springfield managing partner for Spencer Fane, said the company is laying down roots in the community by occupying the entire third floor of Building B at the environmentally friendly, mixed-use Farmers Park. That building is home to Metropolitan Farmer on the first floor and its rooftop bar, Barley, Wheat and Rye Social House.
“That project is very unique for Springfield, Missouri. It has a lot of energy,” Walters said, adding the mix of retail, residential and office space is appealing. “It’s an eclectic mix for Springfield, and it is the kind of energy we were looking for.
“(Spencer Fane’s) growth has primarily consisted of younger lawyers, and so the project is very appealing to a younger-lawyer mix, which we will continue to attract here in Springfield.”
Walters said the firm has targeted a move-in date of May 1 after office infill is complete. Buxton Kubik Dodd Creative is designing the interior, Walters said, and Adam Pyle & Associates is the general contractor. Walters declined to disclose financials terms of the deal, but said Spencer Fane and Green Circle Projects, developer of Farmers Park, would share infill costs.
When finished, the space will have 19 offices for attorneys and five offices for paralegals, Walters said.
According to Springfield Business Journal archives, commercial space at Farmers Park was listed last year for $17.50 per square foot, triple net.
Ryan Murray of R.B. Murray Co. served as the landlord’s broker on the deal, and he said the Spencer Fane lease marks a milestone for Farmers Park.
“This will fill the last remaining space we have available there, actually,” Murray said of the existing office space. He said more office space could be available through a second phase of construction.[[In-content Ad]]
