Crown Equipment Corporation, one of the world’s largest material handling companies, recently completed construction of a new office building at its global headquarters in New Bremen, Ohio. The 44,400ft2 building is located on the site of the historic Boesel Opera House, which was damaged by a fire in February 2012 that destroyed the interior of the building.
The new facility houses members of the company’s marketing, sales, service and branch operations teams. Crown incorporated a number of features of the original building that were not significantly damaged by the fire, including much of the exterior framework and ceiling beams. The lobby of the new building also features the original tile floor from an historic New Bremen hotel.
“The fire that destroyed the opera house was an event that impacted our community and our employees,” said Mark Manuel, vice president, Crown Equipment. “As the primary employer in the area and in alignment with a company tradition of brownfield development, it was important that Crown took a lead role in the redevelopment of the space and reclamation of as much of the opera house as possible. The new facility is the result of collaborative efforts among many organizations. It stands today a testament to the perseverance of our community and Crown’s commitment to the future of New Bremen.”
In keeping with Crown’s commitment to environmental sustainability, which is ingrained into its product development and manufacturing process, the building features a number of environmentally friendly construction and design elements. One of these features is smart glass technology found in the windows. The technology, from Milpitas, California-based View, tints windows electronically in response to outside conditions, which eliminates the need for shades or blinds and allows better utilization of natural lighting. The interior of the building features an open-air design with an emphasis on more open workspaces and fewer offices, further enhancing the use of natural lighting.
Located at 125 West Monroe Street, the new building was designed by Freytag & Associates of Sidney, Ohio, and built by H.A. Dorsten of Minster, Ohio.
