WeWork Dramatically Expands Downtown Footprint

WeWork announced this morning its leasing more than 100,000 square feet in the lightwell building, formerly City Center Square, adding to its already sizable downtown presence in the Corrigan Station building.

WeWork will occupy lightwell’s third and fourth floors. The 30-story office tower was recently purchased by New York-based SomeraRoad, which is reinvesting in the property to upgrade it to premium office standards.

“We’re incredibly excited to welcome WeWork to lightwell,” Basel Bataineh, vice president of Somera, said in a statement.

“They immediately understood our vision for the building’s transformation into a forward-thinking, modern, Class A office tower, and are a perfect fit for the environment we are creating.”

Combined with WeWork’s other location Corrigan Station at 1828 Walnut St., it brings the  company’s total downtown presence to more than 145,000 square feet, according to a press release announcing the deal.

WeWork is leading what has become one of downtown’s booming office categories–co-working space.

“Since opening our first location here nearly two years ago, WeWork in Kansas City has been bustling with entrepreneurs and high-growth businesses,“ Erik Wullschleger, WeWork’s Kansas City community director, said in a statement.

“WeWork Lightwell will not only provide new options for our larger member companies to continue to expand but also bring additional options to our growing downtown business community.”

WeWorks was one of the first major tenants in the renovated Corrigan Station office building.

WeWork members will receive 24/7 building access, micro-roasted coffee, community events and business services.

In addition to WeWork’s signature offerings and amenities, WeWork members will also have access to a private WeWork terrace, lightwell’s food and beverage options, and upgraded fitness center, according to the release.

Additionally, the current skylight is being replaced with a brand new “lightwell” system that will run through the lobby and serve as a pedestrian commute through the lightwell building.

WeWork’s first member at the new location is Volly, a Woburn, Massachusetts-based company that works with banks and mortgage lenders to simplify their marketing communication strategies through a SaaS platform that includes CRM, marketing automation and point of sale.

‘We chose WeWork Lightwell for its central location in downtown Kansas City and because it allows us to configure the space that works best for our employees both now and as we continue to grow,” Karis Koehn, VP of sales at Volley, said in a statement.

The former City Center Square building was completed in 1977.