By Vince Meehan

Tower 180° is nearing completion at the corner of First Avenue and Broadway, across the street from the Spreckles Theater. The 25-story multi-use complex will feature office units and retail spaces. Developed by Hammer Ventures, Tower 180° is slated to be completed later this year and will include a large rooftop venue that will be available for receptions, corporate events. This will also serve as a daily amenity space.

Hammer Ventures is a group of real estate ventures primarily dedicated to the acquisition and development of office, and mixed-use properties in Southern California. Privately held and based in San Diego, the firm is recognized as an entrepreneurial leader in the development of Class A+ assets in prime urban locations.

Lawrence Howard, director of Development said that these buildings represent the highest quality buildings in their individual markets.

“They are commonly the most aesthetically pleasing buildings with the best construction, and possess high quality building structure,” Howard said. “Class A buildings also are well-located, highly amenitized, easy to access, and are professionally managed. As a result of this, they attract the highest quality tenants. Tower 180° has always been a Class-A location in Downtown. We are replacing the entire façade with beautiful glass, improving the sidewalks, completely renovating common areas, replacing all major building systems, adding steel balconies, and improving outdoor amenity space. No other building in Downtown will benefit from this level of investment and improvement.”

Since the firm’s inception in 2000, it has developed a portfolio valued in excess of $2 billion which includes more than 1 million square feet of commercial space for total development of over 3.5 million square feet.

The concept of Tower 180° is to redefine the working lifestyle with the abundant amenities, purposeful and functional workspaces. Retail spaces on the ground floor will serve the community as well as the tenants. The tower is designed as an integrated destination, custom built for a modern work life.

Tower 180° is designated as a Class A+ office tower and unique design features will include 25-foot floor-to-ceiling glass windows and a creative double height mezzanine. Also included is a 13,000-square-foot state-of-the-art gym that will offer CrossFit, spin and yoga classes. The 10,000-square-foot mid-century-inspired amenity roof deck will provide awesome vistas of the city and bay, and the building is within walking distance to Downtown hotels, restaurants and attractions. Tenant perks will include valet parking, electrical charging stations, exclusive patios, exterior Wi-Fi hubs and high-tech security.

Howard said Tower 180° has approximately 260,000 square feet of available office space to lease. The building offers 10,000 or 20,000 square foot contiguous floor plans. He said there are currently five retail spaces in the building and their initial leasing push was highly focuses on retail as an amenity.

“We are excited about new retailers that will add a vibrancy to Downtown and complement the stature of the building,” Howard said. “the new design is modern, simple and clean, drawing from previous mid-century architectural elements, with an open and flowing floor plan with urban views of Downtown San Diego.”

The building is expected to open this summer.

“Our renovation seeks to create a world class building that is worthy of its best-in-class location,” Howard said. “When complete, we believe it will be the most desirable office tower in Downtown San Diego.”

— Vince Meehan can be reached at [email protected].