Coworking took a massive hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, and many have shuttered or pivoted to stay afloat. For Dallas-based Common Desk, it has been the latter: the flexible office and amenities provider has taken the stay-at-home order in stride, declaring it as the start of something new.
This week, Common Desk announced its latest move, a first-of-its-kind deal that actually makes the coworking brand an operating partner for an office building. This means that a landlord partner will use Common Desk’s design, real estate, marketing, and operations experts to help program the entire asset for the “future of office.”
To founder and CEO Nick Clark, it’s an opportunity to further establish his company as an advocate for the next era of office offerings. Common Desk will work to reposition the historic Continental Gin Building in Deep Ellum into a Class A creative office building with a retail component.
It’s not a new feat for the team, which has been a pioneer in the space since its founding.
Common Desk is most often referred to as one of the earliest coworking brands to open in Texas, launching out of Deep Ellum back in 2012.
Since, Clark has grown the coworking concept to serve thousands in Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin, Houston, and North Carolina—while at the same time expanding a workday portfolio that includes wellness, technology, and a coffee outlet.
The latest endeavor will further boost Common Desk’s reputation as a building amenity turned operating partner.
Now, the company said, it will be apparent that its team has the ability to envision, design and operate buildings that will appeal to the office tenants of tomorrow.
“We’re incredibly excited to play a bigger role in the Deep Ellum neighborhood as an industry innovator,” Clark said in a statement. “It’s truly going to be a holistic offering the market has yet to see.”
Common Desk was chosen by August Real Estate Co. to serve as an operating partner for the Continental Gin Building (CGB), which was originally built in 1888. After two years of securing approval and finalizing designs, August Real Estate Co. began restoration efforts of the building in mid-2019.
The goal, according to the Dallas-based family office, was to “reimagine a 19th century monument of Deep Ellum for 21st century use.” Once complete in early 2021, CGB is predicted to be a creative Deep Ellum office, coworking, and retail destination.