A Beauty Being Built on Broadway

Webcor Builders Breaks Ground on 23-story Tower

By Greg Aragon

The first high-rise office building in downtown San Diego in 13 years is under construction in the Columbia District.

Known as Broadway 655, the 23-story tower broke ground on Dec. 16, and is targeted for completion in summer 2005. The $140 million tower will have 454,000 sq. ft. of mixed-use space, including 17 residential units, 356,000 sq. ft. of office space, 16,300 sq. ft. of restaurant and retail space, and 765 parking spaces.

"We are looking forward to delivering a stunning addition to downtown San Diego and turning a hard-fought dream into a reality," said Robert V. Lankford, CEO of La Jolla-based Lankford & Associates, the project's developer. "Our thanks go to our partners, future tenants, and others who have supported this dream."

Broadway 655 is located at the southeast corner of Broadway and Kettner Boulevard, three blocks from cruise ship terminals and a train station. The concrete core of the 412-ft.-tall structure was designed by San Diego-based Carrier Johnson and is being erected by San Mateo-based general contractor Webcor Builders.

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Barry Choy, Webcor senior project manager, said the only thing concerning him is the schedule.

"We are putting this building together in just 16 months and working six, 10-hour days to get it going," Choy added. "Traffic patterns, city timetables and union holidays are going to make for a tight schedule."

The project is off to a fast start: 8,100 cu. yds. of concrete were recently poured to complete the mat foundation, and the tower crane will be in place soon.

Edward Holakiewicz, senior design architect for Carrier Johnson, said the building will face San Diego Bay and the historic part of downtown San Diego.

The office project is a novel addition to a downtown that has seen a tidal wave of residential construction in the past few years.