AU Health signs agreement on downtown property

Augusta University’s health system will lease two floors in the former Wells Fargo building at corner of Seventh and Broad streets

AU Health has signed an agreement through the brokerage group at Blanchard and Calhoun Real Estate Company to lease space in one of downtown Augusta’s tallest landmarks – the former Wells Fargo building at 699 Broad St. The agreement also gives AU Health naming rights of the 17-story building owned by Richmond Enterprise LLC.

“As our clinical and academic missions continue to expand, we must reallocate space on our health sciences campus to accommodate this growth. Therefore we now find it necessary to move some of our clinical support services to other sites,” said Shawn P. Vincent Sr., AU Health Chief Operating Officer.

AU Health will occupy two floors and the basement, utilizing about 20,000 square feet of commercial space in the 220-foot tall structure. The building is topped on floors 16 and 17 by The Pinnacle Club, an exclusive venue designed to provide a quiet, picturesque setting for Augusta leaders to conduct business. The Club was incorporated during construction of the skyscraper in the late 1960s and is still widely used today.

“We will be moving the administrative offices that support our multiyear strategic partnerships with Philips and with Beckman Coulter Inc. and Danaher, as well as our new Center for Rural Health, our clinical outreach and physician liaison teams, and the administrative and biomedical functions associated with our management of the Georgia Correctional HealthCare agreement we have with the Department of Corrections,” said Lee Ann Liska, AU Health Chief Executive Officer.

“These essentially are business offices. There will be no patient care provided at the Wells Fargo building,” Liska said. “To make this clear, we plan to place the official Augusta University shield on two sides of the building. These beacons will signify our investment and demonstrate our long-term commitment to Augusta and downtown. We are excited about this latest expansion and what the future holds.”

The office space will undergo minor aesthetic renovations including new carpet and fresh paint. Some basic structural improvements and information technology upgrades also will be incorporated.

“While our timeline isn’t solidified, we would like for everyone to be in the building within a few months,” Liska said.

Augusta University moved several other business functions downtown last year in the riverfront building at One 10th St.

“Augusta University and its health system are major economic contributors to the state and to this community,” said Vincent, “and downtown Augusta is a natural fit for us. It’s in close proximity to our health sciences campus, the new cyber training facility, and our existing riverfront location. We look forward to playing our part in developing downtown Augusta into an attractive, thriving business hub.”

“Blanchard and Calhoun Real Estate Company has been a key player in Augusta real estate for nearly a century,” said Davis H. Beman, vice president and director of Commercial Real Estate. “As the largest brokerage company in the downtown market, we are excited to align a premier building with Augusta University and are thrilled that it will bear the name ‘Augusta’ for years to come.”