Uptown tower in line for major revamp

CHARLOTTE — A 15-year-old uptown office tower is getting a major facelift.

Atlanta-based commercial real estate firm Cousins Properties is planning significant renovations at 550 South, a 20-story, 395,000-square-foot building that opened in 2009. The tower’s lobby will be completely overhauled and its second floor will be remade into a tenant amenity floor, said Grant Harrell, Cousins’ vice president and director of the Charlotte regional team.

Harrell said the first-floor lobby will be outfitted with various seating areas for tenants and visitors. The retail space, currently occupied by Crane Coffee, will be relocated and expanded on the first floor. It will also include a staircase leading to the second-floor amenity space, which will have a state-of-the-art fitness center, conference space, common areas and a golf simulator.

“The goal is to reinvigorate and reenergize the ground floor for our customers and their visitors,” he said. “One of the things we keyed in on was creating an environment that’s welcoming with a great sense of arrival. There’s a lot of common-area seating that makes you want to spend time there.”

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