Oct. 1, 2018

A 91-year-old Phillips Avenue building has a new look inside and outside to help attract a tenant.

The floor above Sushi Masa has been vacant for a “very long time,” said Keith Nelson, commercial property manager at Bender Midwest Properties. The apartment/law office was vacant when the company took over management of the building at 423 S. Phillips Ave. almost two years ago.

While it might have made a desirable residence, getting the second floor up to current building code requirements for a living space would have caused too much of a disruption for the first-floor restaurant, Nelson said. Sushi Masa has been a tenant since 2000 and recently signed another lease, he said.

“If they weren’t there, we maybe could have turned it into an apartment.”

Outside, crews did tuck-pointing work and gave the building a fresh coat of paint, going from off-white to gray. Inside, the second floor was updated with new fixtures, and the bathroom and kitchen were renovated for an office user rather than an apartment dweller.

“Now, it has four private offices, a work area, a kitchenette and a restroom,” Nelson said. The original wood floors and woodwork remain.

Andi Anderson of Bender Commercial Real Estate Services is the listing agent. The 1,260-square-foot-space is being marketed at $1,200 a month plus utilities.