GLMV Architecture buys new downtown office on East Douglas

The former Packard building on East Douglas where GLMV Architecture is moving its headquarters.WICHITA — The almost year-old GLMV Architecture is getting a new home that will accommodate all of its Wichita employees.

Since Gossen Livingston Associates and McCluggage Van Sickle & Perry merged early this year, employees have remained at their original offices while there was a search for a space big enough to hold 100 people. (There are another 30 employees in Kansas City and Houston offices.)

The new space is a 30,000-square-foot building at 1525 E. Douglas.

McCormick Armstrong sold GLMV the building that it's been using for storage and a tenant, Sign Pro, which will have to move.

The 1930 two-story building originally was home to J. Arch Butts' Packard dealership.

"It's a significant building in Wichita and in the Douglas Design District, which is . . . kind of fun to be part of now," says GLMV chairman Bill Livingston.

"The building has a lot of rich history."

GLMV is working to put the building on the National Register of Historic Places, which will allow some tax credits.

So who out of a huge firm of architects handles the design of company headquarters?

"Well, we establish a team and handle it just like any project in the office," Livingston says.

"I don't know what it's going to look like."

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This story was originally published December 8, 2010 at 11:17 AM with the headline "GLMV Architecture buys new downtown office on East Douglas."