The Louisiana School Boards Association has purchased a downtown office building for $1.2 million and will move its operations there.
The association, which supports school boards around the state, bought the building at 620 Florida St. in a deal that closed Friday. The seller was 620 Florida LLC, represented by William Ellison and Jose Canseco of New Orleans.
Janet Pope, executive director, said the association had been looking to get closer to the Capitol for five years. This continues a trend; in recent years the Louisiana Realtors, the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors and the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry have moved their headquarters downtown.
The school boards association currently has offices at 7912 Summa Ave. in the medical district. “It doesn’t suit our needs,” Pope said. “We want to have a training center in the building for school board members, school superintendents and central office staff.”
No date has been set yet for the move into 620 Florida.
Two of the four suites in the 12,000-square-foot building are currently leased. Pope said the tenants will remain in the building. Build Baton Rouge, formerly known as the Redevelopment Authority of East Baton Rouge Parish, is one of the tenants.
Paula Davis, Geordy Waters and Robert Pettit, of Waters & Pettit Commercial Real Estate, represented the buyers and the sellers.
BY: TIMOTHY BOONE
Originally Posted by The Advocate