Federal Funding and Historic Tax Credits Help Transform Vacant School into Coworking Space to Drive Economic Development

GRETNA, La., Feb. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- This week, the City of Gretna, Jefferson Parish, and Formwork Development are holding a ribbon-cutting event to celebrate the grand opening of Primary Workspace, a modern coworking and event venue built within a historic 1911 schoolhouse that sat mostly vacant in downtown Gretna for more than 50 years. The development was conducted in a public-private partnership between Jefferson Facilities Inc. and Formwork Development with a focus on bringing new economic vitality to Gretna's historic downtown neighborhood.

Located at 519 Huey P Long Avenue in Gretna, LA, the nearly 20,000-square-foot development offers flexible coworking office space and special event rental options within the reimagined primary school, with original architectural details and updated systems and amenities. The $3.5 million renovation of Gretna's first primary school into Primary Workspace was funded by a $2.7 million allocation of American Rescue Plan Act funds provided by the City of Gretna, and $800,000 of Louisiana State Historic Tax Credits.

"Primary Workspace is a smart workplace solution for meeting today's workforce needs and is on course to be a highly valuable economic driver for our beloved Gretna community," says Gretna Mayor Belinda Constant. "The coworking space fills a gap in Jefferson Parish by transforming a vacant historic building into an economic anchor, attracting new businesses with plans to scale into Gretna, and creating a more vibrant and walkable downtown experience for all residents and visitors within our community."

Formwork Development acted as the private-sector development partner for the creation of the project and now manages the property as well. Studio BKA served as the architect and interior designer and Perrier Esquerré Contractors served as the building's general contractor. Jefferson Facilities, Inc. led the project from the public sector side, on behalf of Jefferson Parish and the city of Gretna.

"Primary Workspace brings new life to a beautiful, historic Gretna building, and we couldn't be prouder of the results," says David Hecht, founder and principal of Formwork Development. "By partnering with Jefferson Facilities, Inc., we're proud to have enhanced Jefferson Parish's downtown vitality and helped the community embrace the growing trend of hospitality-inspired work environments. With Formwork managing the property, Primary Workspace will new take its place as a vibrant, community-focused hub of economic and social activity in downtown Gretna."

"Primary Workspace is a testament to public-private partnerships' potential in driving economic growth," says Brett Lawson, project leader and Chief of Staff for Jefferson Parish Council. "Thanks to our cooperative endeavor agreement with Formwork Development, a once-vacant historic building will now transition from a financial drain on our community and instead bring business, tax revenue, and vitality to the Gretna community and Jefferson Parish."

The architecture and interior design team at Studio BKA collaborated closely with the Louisiana Historic Preservation Office to ensure the renovation met the Secretary of Interior's Guidelines for Historic Preservation. The team also worked in tandem with the City of Gretna's Historic District Commission to follow a thorough three-part approval process to preserve the building's historical integrity while incorporating modern updates.

"Primary Workspace demonstrates the power of historic preservation can be harnessed for economic revitalization," says Kim Payne Allen, co-founder and design director of Studio BKA. "There are countless vacancies in historic neighborhoods that can benefit from exactly this kind of design work in an effort to bring economic success through shared work environments. The most sustainable path for building development is, and will always be, the reuse of our existing buildings like this one."

Formwork Development's project vision centered on preserving the building's historic character while creating a functional and inspiring 13,000-square-foot coworking space. An additional 2,800 square feet of for-lease retail space sits on its first floor alongside a German Cultural Museum, the only existing legacy tenant that existed in operation in the mostly vacant building. Primary Workspace includes a boardroom and event spaces for rent by community groups, organizations, and individuals, offering a much-needed new amenity to the community.

The interior of Primary Workspace revolves around the meticulously restored two-story auditorium, featuring a rebuilt historic proscenium arch and stage, which serves as a dynamic central space for coworking and events. The preserved corridors, illuminated by restored double-hung windows, are lined with private offices, meeting rooms and hot desks, maintaining the building's grandeur. The interior design blends Art Deco elements and rich hues to create a sophisticated environment and nod to the building's previous era of vibrancy. "Restoring historic buildings like this one require an understanding of both preservation and modern construction code standards," says Brett Perrier, principal of Perrier Esquerré Contractors. "To achieve long-term success for this project, we balanced the care and attention to detail required for the preservation of original architectural elements with the modern construction methodologies and systems that lead to the most durable building success."

Primary Workspace offers membership options for access to shared space, dedicated desks and private offices for company teams, with hot desk membership options starting at $150 per month and private office leases at $850 per month. To learn more about Primary Workspace or explore membership or leasing options, visit https://www.primaryworkspace.com/ or contact manager@primaryworkspace.com

About Primary Workspace Primary Workspace is a modern coworking and event space located in downtown Gretna, Louisiana. Renovated from Gretna's first primary school, the facility offers flexible workspaces, private offices and event areas to support businesses of all sizes. Designed to foster collaboration and productivity in an inspiring space, Primary Workspace provides a professional environment for startups, small businesses and community organizations. To learn more, visit www.primaryworkspace.com.

About Formwork Development
We are a multidisciplinary real estate development company with expertise in design, development and construction management. Our work is rooted in its place, and we excel at mixed-use and urban infill developments. Formwork has a successful record navigating complex entitlement issues, executing projects with unique operational needs, and utilizing state and federal historic tax credits. With broad expertise and focused execution, we create exceptional places and deliver outstanding returns to our investors. Learn more at formworkllc.com.

About Studio BKA
At Studio BKA, we believe our quality of life is intrinsically linked to the environments that surround us. We craft functional and beautiful design solutions on a human scale. Our studio has extensive experience designing new construction projects as well as renovations, historic tax-credit projects, with building types ranging from mixed-use buildings to residential to religious. Putting user experience and client satisfaction at the forefront of every design, we seek to deliver timeless, contextual projects for our clients. Learn more at studiobka.com.

About Perrier Esquerré Contractors
Perrier Esquerre Contractors, LLC (PEC) was founded on the core values of innovation, project collaboration, and cost efficiency. Our vision has always been to create a construction company that provides an exceptional quality product delivered on time and within budget. Founded by longtime Louisiana commercial construction leaders, Brett Perrier and Keith Esquerré, PEC was designed to be a unique general contracting company grounded in honesty, integrity, and hard work. Learn more at pecgc.com.

About Jefferson Facilities, Inc.
We are a non-profit organization, created by the community of Jefferson Parish, to develop, finance, construct, and operate buildings and community amenities that will spur the economic vibrancy of strategic sites within the Parish.

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SOURCE Formwork Development