By Marty Finley  – Reporter, Louisville Business First

The well-known Kaden Tower on Dutchmans Parkway in St. Matthews has received a needed refresh while retaining its historic character, according to its new owners.

Florida-based In-Rel Properties has completed a roughly five-month renovation project to the tower’s vestibule, lobby and second floor, which includes a shared amenity space that features a conference center and a collaboration room.

The lower level also includes an event space that is used for weddings and other events, said Mark Wardlaw, senior vice president of brokerage and business manager for Louisville-based NAI Fortis Group. NAI Fortis is the property manager and leasing agent for Kaden Tower. 

You can see images of the renovation in the attached gallery.

“From our standpoint, we have an owner that, by purchasing Meidinger Tower, committed to this market and is very positive about Louisville as an office market,” Wardlaw said of In-Rel. “They were looking for a unique opportunity to expand their portfolio. Kaden Tower provided that unique property.” 

Dennis Udwin, an architect and founding principal of In-Rel Properties, said it was love at first sight when he saw Kaden Tower in person. The building was based on a Frank Lloyd Wright design, and Udwin said he is a huge fan of his work. Getting his hands on a building Wright helped design was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. 

“The challenge was, for me, I wanted to refresh and reposition the asset but keeping it as a masterpiece and keeping it in the original scope. This is an historic building,” he said.

That meant bringing out some of the accents and making it more relevant to the modern times with new lighting, painting, handmade furniture and art from the time period the building was constructed, he said.

Udwin estimated the company spent about $500,000 on the renovation.

In-Rel Properties acquired the 16-story tower at 6100 Dutchmans Lane last November from longtime owner Kaden Cos. of Louisville. The purchase price was $10.5 million. 

The tower had been on the market for a few months and drew widespread interest from around the country as well as prospective local buyers. Kaden Cos. wanted to sell the building to redeploy the capital into some other ongoing projects.

Kirk Cypel, CEO of In-Rel Properties, said last year that the company was bullish on Louisville through its ownership of Meidinger Tower downtown and could not pass up the opportunity to buy another landmark office asset on Louisville’s East End.

“The longer we’ve been in Louisville, the more we like the market,” Cypel said.

Kaden tower houses 115,530 square feet and is 98 percent occupied. The largest tenant is Louisville-based PharmaCord, and other major tenants include the Alzheimer’s Association, Keller Williams Realty and Ruth’s Chris Steak House.

Cypel indicated last year that some renovations were coming.

“You buy a new house, you come in and want to change something,” he said.

Founded in 1984, In-Rel is a real estate investment and management firm that owns a series of office and retail properties in about half-a-dozen states, including Kentucky and Tennessee, according to its website. Cypel said last year that the In-Rel portfolio features more than three million square feet of commercial properties.

POSTED ON: 4 OCT 2019 – 9:45AMLOULIFEBY JENNI LAIDMAN

We asked local architect Scott Kremer of Studio Kremer Architects to talk about one of his favorite Louisville buildings. One condition: He couldn’t name work by his firm, which includes the new addition to the St. Matthews Library and Thomas Nelson High School in Nelson County.

Kaden Tower
by way of 716 East Broadway

Kremer weaves a tale of architectural evolution, starting with what he calls “the polite yellow-brick building” (architect unknown) at 716 East Broadway. The two-story structure is decorated with floral-pattern terra cotta tiles from the Midland Terra Cotta Co. of Chicago. Those tiles are undoubtedly influenced by the “Father of the Skyscraper,” Louis Sullivan, who softened his massive buildings with terra cotta. (Fun fact: The guy who went on to manufacture these tiles, Joseph N. Glover, got his start in mid-19th century Louisville making clay pots and stone urns, says architectural historian Joanne Weeter.) Sullivan, a giant in his day, mentored the legendary 20th-century architect Frank Lloyd Wright. And Kaden Tower was designed by Wright’s son-in-law and protégé, William Wesley Peters, who worked with Wright on such masterpieces as the famous Fallingwater house in Pennsylvania. Upon Wright’s death in 1959, Peters took over Wright’s firm, Taliesin Associated Architects. (Odd fact: After Peters’ first wife, Svetlana — Wright’s stepdaughter — died in a car accident, he married another Svetlana — this one the daughter of Joseph Stalin. Yes, that Joseph Stalin.)

Why Kaden Tower?

“It’s a bold building,” Kremer says — and people love it or hate it. “It was bold in thinking, bold in siting and bold in execution.” In 1963, when construction of Kaden Tower started on Dutchmans Lane alongside the Watterson Expressway, it rose like a solitary lacy sentinel beside a horse farm, Kremer says. Lincoln Income Life Insurance Co., which hired Peters, “had the bold idea that: We’re going to really plant our flag on the horizon,” Kremer says. “I consider that very bold — even brash.”

Design

Although the pink elevator column and filigreed exterior draw smart remarks from drive-by critics, the engineering deserves admiration. The tower’s 15 stories rise like a tree from the trunk formed by the pink concrete shaft where the exterior elevator ascends. Twelve of those floors are suspended from cantilevered trusses anchored to the tower, which means no structural columns detract from airy interiors. A basement meeting area is surrounded by a semicircular pool, which was originally part of the building’s cooling system. Kirk Cypel, CEO for In-Rel Properties, which bought the tower last year, says that’s no longer the case. Updating the AC is now among the improvement projects they’ve undertaken. “What we don’t want to do is change things,” Cypel says. “We want to reinforce what we believe the original goals were.” In the spruce-up, Cypel’s firm has added pendant lights in the lobby, which allow a stained-glass window to pop. Before, the geometric Wrightian window was lost in the gloom.

Little-known tidbit: When Frank Lloyd Wright’s widow, Olga, toured the building in 1966, her hauteur was so complete that a Courier-Journal writer reported: “Said one Louisvillian who experienced it: ‘I’d have felt more comfortable with Queen Elizabeth.’”

This originally appeared in the September 2019 issue of Louisville Magazine under the headline “Bold Moves.” To subscribe to Louisville Magazine, click here. To find us on newsstands, click here.

Cover photo: Kaden Tower during construction, 1965. // Courtesy of U of L Archives and Special Collections

By Perri Ormont Blumberg

So much South, so little time.

While there are so many reasons to love the South right now, Memphis is certainly one of them. In fact, popular travel site TripSavvy just named Memphis the best overall destination for 2019 on their “Where to Go in 2019” travel list.

If you haven’t been to the Home of the Blues, there’s much to explore. Beale Street, the National Civil Rights Museum, and ordering more food than you can eat at Paulette’s Restaurant, to name a few. TripSavvy captures Bluff City’s appeal in its write-up for why it’s their top overall destination for 2019, stating:

Memphis is a hotbed of activity. Formerly abandoned lots and buildings are now fun spots for tourists and locals. At Crosstown Concourse (in an old Sears distribution warehouse) you can dine in a dozen just opened restaurants including one that taps refugees to do the cooking. An overgrown yard has turned into Railgarten, a 1.5 acre adult playground with a tiki bar, ping pong room, ice cream parlor, diner, sandbox, stage for live music, and much more. Old establishments are new again. Over the summer the Memphis Pink Palace Museum reopened its historic mansion after a shiny renovation. The zoo now has a spacious new exhibit on hippos. At the start of 2019 CMPLX, a collective that showcases the work of local black artists, cut the ribbon on a new studio where art exhibits will rotate every three weeks.

For best destination for outdoor enthusiasts, Rapid City, South Dakota secured the spot thanks to the Black Hills, Badlands National Park, Custer State Park, and other wide open spaces, rodeos, and activities for thrill seekers.

Meanwhile, back in our neck of the woods, San Antonio was crowned as the best destination for history buffs, and Atlanta, Miami, and Houston also made the list for best for beer snobs, best for café culture, and best for the food obsessed, respectively. These wonderful places were highlighted along with other destinations around the world and you can read the full list here.

When you’re ready to plan your trip to Memphis, our extensive city guide including recommendations for restaurants, hotels, things to do, shops, and bars, has you covered. Bon Beale Voyage.

 

The end of 2018 brings great excitement to In-Rel Properties with the purchase of Kaden Tower, a 115,530 Sq Ft landmark property in Louisville, Kentucky. The distinctive office building, built in 1965, is located at 6100 Dutchmans Lane, adjacent to the I-264/Breckinridge Lane interchange and the Dupont Medical District. An iconic, Frank Lloyd Wright inspired building on the Louisville suburban skyline for decades, Kaden Tower offers tenants stylish mid-century modern office space in one of the most highly visible and easily accessible office locations in Louisville. Designed by Taliesin Associated Architects (an affiliate of The Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation), Kaden is a highly recognized building and the tallest in the suburban office market. The penthouse is home to Ruth’s Chris Steak House. Other notable tenants include Bio-Medical Applications, Pharmacord, Kiely Hines & Associates, Bowie Resource Holdings, Keller Williams, and the Alzheimer’s Association. On the ground floor sits a 4,000 Sq Ft Civic Center offering a perfect, upscale, unique location for unforgettable events. Planned upgrades to the building include a new air conditioning chiller, concrete façade renovations, lobby and gym makeovers, and the addition of exterior elevator details. This acquisition is the third for In-Rel in Kentucky, joining Meidinger Tower also in Louisville, and Chase Tower in Lexington.

 

 

Memphis, TN

Konica Minolta Business Solutions U.S.A., Inc. has taken occupancy of 17,500 square feet at Lynnfield Office Park, Building C, where they are operating a sales office and call center. They moved in on August 1.  The premises were completely refurbished in an “open floor plan” design.  The space plan includes an employee break area, conference rooms, and a product show room. See the photos below:

Not Your Father’s Office Building

Clark Tower Upgrades Are More Than Cosmetic

By Patrick Lantrip

2017 was a big year for Clark Tower, with more than $9 million in physical improvements. But perhaps one of the biggest changes to the 34-story East Memphis office tower, located at 5100 Poplar Ave., is a change in perception.

“We’ve added a fresh perspective,” said Kirk Cypel, CEO of Lake Worth, Florida-based In-Rel Properties, which has owned Clark Tower since 2003. “We are starting a photographic art program and planning a series of educational and entertainment events to make greater use of our property.”

Since the needs and wants of today’s office users aren’t exactly the same as they were when the 668,505-square-foot East Memphis tower was built in 1973, Cypel and In-Rel knew that upgrades would need to be more than just skin deep.

“It seems like the only constant in our world is change,” he said. “With everything moving so quickly, the strongest (market) trends reflect basic human needs for stability, flexibility, convenience, comfort and value. We seek a stable environment but also the flexibility to modify that environment as needs evolve.”

The multimillion-dollar renovation of Clark Tower, which wrapped up last May, included upgrades to the front entry, lobby, common areas and restroom finishes; the addition of a 60-person conference room; a new marquee entry on the south side of the building; pedestrian walking paths connecting to nearby retail; and behind-the-scenes work, such as upgrades to the elevators as well as the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system.

A recently launched branding campaign, “Meet the New Clark,” touts the upgrades on a new website, meetthenewclark.com.

Colliers International, which was tapped in January 2017 to handle leasing for In-Rel’s 1.3 million-square-foot local portfolio – which also includes Lynnfield Office Park, the 2400 Poplar Building, and the 23-story i-bank Tower, located adjacent to Clark Tower at 5050 Poplar Ave. – has inked several leases since the renovations wrapped up.

Memphis-based First Alliance Bank signed a 10-year lease in early August to relocate its Poplar Avenue branch into a 4,000-square-foot space adjacent to the Clark Tower lobby.

And in late August, The Partners Group, a new company formed when the Memphis arm of MassMutual merged with Nashville-based Capital Financial Group, inked a lease for the entire 23rd floor – totaling some 17,000 square feet.

Cypel said he has noticed increased interest from smaller, more diversified prospective users, too.

“Over the past year, we’ve seen a number of tenants in the 1,000- to 5,000-square-foot range come to the property,” he said. “Historically, we’ve made a home to professional firms in the accounting, insurance, investment, finance and legal fields, but it seems that the Memphis business environment is evolving and we’re seeing interest from all kinds of entrepreneurial businesses that are looking for a high-profile office location at affordable lease rates.”

Cypel said that interest is driven in part by the fact that Clark Tower offers a portfolio of amenities that smaller tenants simply can’t get at smaller properties, which is why they have begun to keep a number of “move-in ready” suites for entrepreneurial companies who need quality office space right away.

A second paradigm shift Cypel has noticed affecting the tenant makeup in Clark Tower is the eastward movement of the city’s density.

“Like many cities, Memphis has experienced a shift in its center of gravity,” he said. “For example, the center of Dallas has shifted north towards Plano. Similarly, the center of Memphis has shifted to the east and Clark Tower, at Poplar Avenue and I-240, is pretty much the center of everything. While East Memphis is east of Downtown, East Memphis is the center of our city.”

Clark Tower marked In-Rel’s entry into the Memphis market in 2003. The company later purchased Lynnfield Office Park and the 2400 Poplar Building, and in late 2015, it acquired the 23-story i-bank Tower, located adjacent to Clark Tower at 5050 Poplar Ave.

Colliers International was tapped in January 2017 to handle leasing for In-Rel’s local portfolio, which totals 1.3 million square feet.

Ron Riley, senior vice president for Colliers International, said Clark Tower is a perfect fit for any business, large or small, that wants a central, convenient location.

“Every conceivable amenity is either located on-site or within a five-minute walk,” Riley said.

“The improvements have truly brought the building into the 21st century. No other building in the city is more recognizable and can stack up amenity to amenity. When you couple that with the overall great value, we believe it is the place to office.”