Downtown Campus Revitalization Project

Downtown Campus Revitalization Project
Posted on 05/18/2022

Downtown Campus Revitalization Project 
Takes Step Forward 

Arizona-based companies selected to revitalize the Glendale city campus

The city of Glendale is pleased to announce that Arizona-based companies Holly Street Studio and Okland Construction have been selected as the primary teams to lead the Downtown Campus Reinvestment Project. This project encompasses the revitalization of City Hall, and the adjacent amphitheater and parking structure as well as Murphy Park. The Glendale City Hall campus was originally built in 1984.

“This was a highly competitive process where we had outstanding local and national firms offering their vision for this transformative project,” said Glendale City Manager Kevin Phelps. “We think the team we have brought together with Holly Street on the architectural side and Okland overseeing the construction aspects is a winning combination of expertise and past successes for this important asset for our community.”

The city reviewed qualifications and proposals from six extremely qualified construction & design firms and then shortlisted those down to three finalists each. Following interviews, Holly Street Studio was selected by the review committee to serve as the lead designer. Holly Street is dedicated to creating places in the public realm. Their inspiration comes from civic discourse and community engagement. Holly Street is known for its holistic solutions, a high level of service and technical proficiency. You don’t have to go far to see some of their work, they led the effort for the Glendale Community College Automotive Technology Center. Earlier this year, Holly Street also completed the ASU Creative Futures Lab at Mesa City Center. This 118,000 square-foot-building houses programs offered by the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts and the Sydney Poitier New American Film School.

Glendale City Hall Image

“We are so pleased to team-up with Holly Street Studio and Okland Construction on this momentous project for our city,” said Glendale Principal Architect Eddie Garcia. “Our main goal is to make this revitalization project a point of civic pride for Glendale which is reflective of our historical roots and innovative future that will elevate our brand as a choice community in the Valley. Both Holly Street and Okland Construction clearly recognized our aspirational goals. Not only did they embrace this opportunity, but they challenged us to bring fresh ideas to this project.”

Okland Construction, a fourth-generation family-owned company was selected for the construction project. Recently Okland Construction completed the renovation of Footprint Arena, home to the Phoenix Suns and Mercury. The review committee was impressed by Okland’s innovative approach to preconstruction and overall passion for design and construction.

The city’s revitalization project will begin later this year and is expected to be completed by March of 2025. In total, it is estimated that the downtown campus renovation will cost close to $70 million. That cost includes $21 million of previously adopted Capital Improvement Project money from city coffers.