Franklin Partners has officially opened the doors of The Shuman, a socially activated office building that brings urban vibes to a suburban location. Located at 263 Shuman Boulevard in Naperville, Illinois, The Shuman features an extensive amenity floor to deliver a comprehensive workplace experience outside of Chicago’s central business district. The newly redeveloped, 350,000-square-foot office building welcomed its first tenant on September 10.
“As downtown office owners upgrade their buildings with coveted amenities to attract and retain tenants, The Shuman is blazing the trail for this trend in the suburbs,” said Ray Warner, partner, Franklin Partners. “The dedicated amenity floor offers a unique mix of collaboration spaces and accommodations that can help companies win over new generations of talent.”
The transformation of 263 Shuman Boulevard turns the former corporate headquarters location into a modern, multi-tenant building with design from Chicago-based Wright Heerema Architects. The socially focused building features an inviting lobby with a five-story atrium, filled with sunlight and a custom light installation. A grand staircase that doubles as seating space leads to the dedicated amenity floor, offering to tenants spaces for working, socialization and wellness, including private meeting rooms, a lounge and game room, golf simulator, bike storage room and fitness center operated by LifeStart.
Dining options include Fiona’s Fare, a unique dining experience with hot and cold options, a grill station, cashless grab’n’go and Food Work, which will offer a rotating scene of Chicagoland restaurants. An in-house barista bar, Manan, offers a wide variety of traditional coffee and other crafted drinks, including smoothies. A building app powered by Rise Buildings will streamline the above amenities, allowing tenants to book conference rooms, order lunch and more.
“We’ve enjoyed collaborating with Franklin Partners on this endeavor to bring the qualities of a downtown office building to the equally vibrant suburbs,” said Roger Heerema, principal, Wright Heerema Architects. “Every aspect of the redevelopment is designed to enhance the workday for today’s companies and their employees, with beautiful spaces for collaboration, socialization and connection.”
Already, approximately 35,000 square feet have been leased, and leasing activity is predicted to run strong in the coming weeks. The Colliers International team of Francis Prock and David Florent, both principals in the firm’s office advisory group, serve as exclusive leasing agents for the redeveloped offices.
“The city of Naperville is pleased to be home to this premiere suburban office building which serves as an example of the thriving west Chicago suburbs,” said Steve Chirico, Mayor of Naperville. “We’re thrilled that Franklin Partners has invested to create this bustling office environment in Naperville, which will help bring leading companies and their employees into our city.”
Franklin Partners acquired the property in April 2018 in a joint venture with Bixby Bridge Capital, and announced the redevelopment plans with Wright Heerema Architects in October 2018. Most recently serving as the headquarters for OfficeMax, the building was originally developed for AT&T in 1987.
Franklin Partners and Wright Heerema partnered with several consultants to bring The Shuman experience to life, including: WMA (engineering); Charter Sills (engineering); TGRWA Structural Engineers; V3 Civil Engineering and Hitchcock (landscape architecture). Additional notable partners on this project include: DSI (construction management); Interior Investments (furniture consulting); Sound Inc. (AV technology); IMG (security); Balanced Environments (landscaping); Parkway (elevators); Parvin Clauss (signage fabrication); BT Partners (IT support); Compass (food operations); Boelter (kitchen design) and Third Coast Interiors (staging consultant).
