Award-winning Hoffman Estates office building up for sale again

An architecturally award-winning building in Hoffman Estates — designed and built by mattress manufacturer Serta for office and research and development space in 2009 before being sold to dental equipment producer Planmeca a decade later — is seeking a new buyer.

“The construction is immaculate. It’s been impeccably maintained,” said NAI Hiffman Executive Vice President Kelly Disser of the 90,000-square-foot building on 19 acres his real estate firm is marketing on behalf of Planmeca at 2600 Forbs Ave.

The asking price is $11 million, which NAI Hiffman considers a bargain given the current estimated replacement cost of $60 million to build the facility anew at today’s prices.

According to the firm, the building won the Institute Honor Award for Architecture from the American Institute of Architects in 2010, being the only Chicago-area project to be so recognized that year.

With the two successive owners having already demonstrated the building’s versatility, its size isn’t considered as daunting a prospect for the market as the sprawling Sears campus nearby once was, Disser said.

“We have to to find the right buyer and right user,” he added. “Because it’s unique it’s a double-edged sword, but it only takes one.”

Hoffman Estates Economic Development Director Kevin Kramer said while the building originally was constructed for Serta’s needs, Planmeca had a clear vision of its own for it in 2019. But that vision was compromised by the onset of the pandemic, which caused even a planned ribbon-cutting to not happen.

Planmeca, which is headquartered in Finland, already has moved its U.S. operations to Charlotte, North Carolina, Disser said.

Some of the early inquirers about the site have asked about the possibility of adding warehouse space, Kramer said. While village officials are open to that, they don’t want it to be at the expense of the building’s inherent attractive design.

“It’s a great site still. We like it.” Kramer said. “The office space is absolutely class A.”

And while the surrounding area’s development has taken a stronger turn toward entertainment and hospitality since the days of Serta’s interest, those are the very amenities office users are looking for today, Kramer said.

Panasonic’s neighboring presence also demonstrates that the Planmeca building isn’t the only lingering corporate site in the Prairie Stone Business Park, he added.

In today’s real estate market, the building’s top three strengths are the ability to own it, the image that comes with its design, and its proximity to and visibility from the tollway that offers quick access to O’Hare International Airport, Disser said.

His current expectation is for the building to continue to house a single occupant under its third owner.