New life is being breathed into the old Dominion Building as the grand ole structure begins to fill up.
Page Realty Management, the Halifax company which now manages the building on Queen Street, is in the initial stages of leasing the space.
The project, upon completion, will be a mixed-use building.
Cox Palmer will be occupying the penthouse floor and plans are for the first floor to be a mix use of retail and commercial office space.
The building will be completed with 56 high-end residential units on levels 2-5 (one and two-bedroom) ranging from 700 square feet to almost 1,600 square feet. Plans call for about 52 two-bedroom units and four one-bedroom units. Each will be completed with granite countertops, ceramic in the washrooms, engineered hardwood in the living spaces, upgraded light fixtures and upgraded stainless steel appliances (fridge, stove, washer, dryer and dishwasher).
Most of the second-floor units have a private terrace and included in the building amenities is a common terrace for the residents. Tenants get surface parking with underground parking available at a modest fee.
With approximately 140 spaces, there should be plenty of parking.
As of mid-March, the residential component was 70 per cent leased.
“We are anxious to revitalize this building, breathing new life and character into it with a mosaic of people and uses,’’ said Douglas Moss, leasing manager with Page Realty Management.
Workers began knocking down walls in the 53,645-square-metre building last summer.
The ultimate goal is also to maintain the current look of the building while keeping it as environmentally friendly as possible.
In 2002, Public Works Canada declared the building surplus to its needs and in 2007 transferred the property to the Canada Lands Company (CLC).
A call in the summer of 2008 by CLC for expressions of interest to purchase and develop the building resulted in 25 packages going out across the country, many of them from the real estate world. And perhaps more importantly than the volume of interest that was shown in 2008 was the quality of interested parties.
CLC, a Crown corporation that buys and disposes of surplus federal property, sold the building in 2010.
The Dominion Building was once home to a post office and hundreds of public servants.
