LOS ANGELES (Jan. 21, 2016) – CBRE Group Inc. and Caruso Affiliated announced today the opening of The Masonic Temple, a nine-story 1929 landmark Art Deco building that has been meticulously revitalized to become Class A innovative office and retail space, and is the new home to CBRE’s North Los Angeles office. This month, CBRE moved 110 employees into the newly renovated building, which also will include a new, adjacent development of ground-level, street-front retail and restaurants, all opening before the end of 2016, and burger phenomenon Shake Shack’s second west coast location, opening as soon as August.
The Masonic Temple was renovated by Caruso Affiliated, and turned over to its new anchor occupant in record time: less than 10 months after the start of its rehabilitation and redesign. The 24,000 square-feet of office space was designed by Gensler, with programming, strategy and change management done by CBRE’s Workplace Strategy group. The new CBRE office is the latest to open as part of the company’s global “Workplace360,“ initiative developed to promote flexibility, mobility and productivity through technology-enabled,100 percent-free address and paperless offices. The Masonic Temple is also pursuing a WELL™ Building Standard certification, following the implementation at its Downtown Los Angeles headquarters, which includes such features as smart lighting systems, advanced air purification, and water filtration systems aimed at optimizing health and well-being for employees.
The office features a stadium-seating assembly area in the vaulted cathedral-trussed penthouse, exposed concrete, refined woods, and structural steel elements that are mixed-in with recreated Art Deco pendants and modern LED lighting. The revamp of the building also included the insertion of 18 new, 20-foot tall windows. The Masonic Temple, originally completed in 1929 and designed by Arthur G. Lindley, had been without a permanent tenant for 30 years before its recent revamp. Over its lifetime it has housed various Masonic organizations, a movie theater, a dance studio, night club and a classical repertory theater group. It is the first prominent adaptive reuse of a historic structure in Glendale.
“This project provided an incredible opportunity for a creative adaptive re-use of the long-vacant Masonic Temple. Gensler’s design captures the unique historic character of the building, incorporating distinct architectural elements into a compelling, progressive, and collaborative workplace environment,” said Andy Cohen, co-CEO of Gensler.
Caruso will offer its unprecedented scope of five-star services to CBRE employees and clients, solidifying Caruso Affiliated and CBRE’s desire to give back and invest in their employees.
Using The Masonic Temple app, developed by Caruso, employees can access a menu of services and amenities including personal grocery shopping and delivery; car wash and refueling; valet parking; in-office dining arrangements for employee and client meetings; dry cleaning and tailoring pickup and delivery; personal vacation planning and travel arrangements; help with apartment-hunting; special event and party planning; personal gift ideas, shopping, wrapping and delivery from retailers at The Americana at Brand and beyond; personal shipping and courier service; preferred and exclusive reservations for hotel, car, golf course, theatre, sporting events, etc. and much more. Offering such services to an office tenant is a first among landlords.
“Our goal is to provide best-in-class service in whatever we do, and by adding these types of amenities, we are offering a transformational office experience and the gift of time—the greatest luxury of all,” stated Rick J. Caruso, founder and CEO of Caruso Affiliated. “This type of office concept completely changes the conversation about work-life balance.”
For CBRE, the services first and foremost symbolize an investment in its most important asset, according to Lewis C. Horne, CBRE president for the Greater Los Angeles and Orange County region.
“Why would a Fortune 500 company look to offer hospitality services to its employees that are more commonly associated with a luxury hotel or a high-end residential building? The answer is easy: We are investing in our most important asset – people,” he said. “This is the next step in the evolution of our leading-edge workplace strategy approach, which has already been implemented at our Downtown Los Angeles headquarters and in more than 30 CBRE offices around the globe.“
“Both of these types of work spaces are giving us an edge as an employer and competitive market player, helping us hire and retain top talent by offering an incomparable working environment,” said Horne. “For both of us, Caruso Affiliated and CBRE, The Masonic Temple will surely serve as a case study and a showcase for clients and colleagues from other regions.”
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About CBRE Group, Inc.
CBRE Group, Inc. (NYSE:CBG), a Fortune 500 and S&P 500 company headquartered in Los Angeles, is the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm (in terms of 2014 revenue). The Company has more than 70,000 employees (excluding affiliates), and serves real estate owners, investors and occupiers through more than 400 offices (excluding affiliates) worldwide. CBRE offers strategic advice and execution for property sales and leasing; corporate services; property, facilities and project management; mortgage banking; appraisal and valuation; development services; investment management; and research and consulting. Please visit our website at www.cbre.com.
About Caruso Affiliated
Caruso Affiliated is one of the largest, privately held real estate development companies in the U.S. All of its properties are distinguished by a unique combination of architectural and design excellence, an unparalleled guest experience and a dedication to serving the local community – transforming them into central gathering places for residents and tourists alike. Its premier retail, residential and mixed-use properties welcome millions of people annually, and two of its marquee properties, The Grove and The Americana at Brand, rank in Shopping Center Today’s list of the top 15 shopping centers around the world, based on sales per square foot, 75% above the industry norm. The Grove also ranks as #2 on Fortune’s 10 highest sales-generating shopping centers in the U.S. list. In addition to The Grove and The Americana at Brand, and the luxury residential 8500 Burton Way, Caruso Affiliated develops, owns and
manages a growing portfolio of world-class high-quality retail, mixed-use, and hospitality assets. With its eyes toward street-front positioning and design that taps into the organic way people live their lives, Caruso Affiliated is currently investing more than one billion dollars in new projects, including a five-star beach front resort in Montecito; a mixed-use luxury residential tower in the heart of Los Angeles; mixed- use dining, entertainment and retail collection in Pacific Palisades; and an open-air retail, dining and entertainment promenade and open space project in Carlsbad. In early 2016, Caruso Affiliated opened The Masonic Temple, a nine-story 1929 landmark Art-Deco building that has been meticulously revitalized to become Class A innovative office and retail space. For more information, visit www.Caruso.com.
About Gensler
Gensler is a global design firm grounded in the belief that great design optimizes business performance and human potential. Our 5,000 practitioners networked across 46 offices use global perspective and local presence to innovate at every scale. Whether we are refreshing a retailer’s brand, planning a new urban district or designing a super tall building, we strive to make the everyday places people occupy more inspiring, more resilient, and more impactful. For more information, visit www.gensler.com.