Preservation‑Led Office Design

Originally constructed in 1919, The Concord is a two‑story commercial building in Des Moines’ historic Sherman Hill neighborhood. Once home to a neighborhood bakery and grocery store, the building served as a daily community touchpoint before falling into disuse in recent decades. Through a thoughtful adaptive reuse effort, the SHYFT design team, now part of SSOE Group, teamed with DEV Partners to transform the vacant structure into The Concord Collaborative: a modern workplace rooted in history, flexibility, and community.

The design balances preservation with performance, retaining historic character while introducing a highly functional office environment. Inside, the recast space supports a range of work styles, with open lounge areas, informal meeting spaces, enclosed conference rooms, and virtual conferencing zones throughout.

Shared amenities, including a central kitchenette and flexible workstations, encourage collaboration and adaptability as needs evolve. A key focus was restoring original materials: brick masonry was carefully cleaned using dry ice blasting, while original wood beams and flooring were preserved and refreshed rather than replaced.

Historic mosaic tile at the storefront entry remains intact, maintaining a tangible connection to the building’s past. Window openings were preserved and enhanced with restored frames and historically accurate replacements, improving daylight while reinforcing architectural character. A contemporary metal stair links the two levels, maintaining openness and light flow.

At street level, the storefront has been reestablished as a welcoming entry and informal gathering space, renewing the building’s long‑standing relationship with the neighborhood. By working within the original footprint, the project maximizes efficiency, minimizes waste, and preserves embodied carbon.

Today, The Concord Collaborative serves as both a modern workplace and a visible reinvestment in Sherman Hill—demonstrating how adaptive reuse can respect architectural heritage while supporting contemporary commercial needs.

In fact, we loved the result enough to move in ourselves.