April 27, 2025 COMMON DESK - A UNIQUE DOWNTOWN WILMINGTON PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

One of the most unique developments in downtown Wilmington I have seen in many years is Common Desk at 226 North Front Street. It is the redevelopment of the former Gaylord Building in that location.

The old Gaylord Building, that had sat vacant for many years has been renovated into an upscale, three level office building, catering to a wide range of customers. This is unique approach to office space availability.

This investment of over $ 18,000,000 has generated a tax value of over 6,000,000, which brings a nice check to the city/county tax coffers.

This development demonstrates how an ordinary non-used or underused old downtown Wilmington can be turned into an important asset, creating tax-base and jobs.

Common Desk, the business operation, is part of a network of Common Desk operations around the US

I talked to McKay Siegel, Partner with East West Partners (developers of Common Desk) and Aaron Ellis, manager of the facility.

The following is statement from Common Desk:

“Common Desk opened our first North Carolina coworking location from a highly-anticipated re-development of the iconic Gaylord Building on Front Street, and we couldn’t be more honored to call the City of Wilmington home. Common Desk-Wilmington is a flexible coworking community, boasting resources for local entrepreneurs, flexible space offerings for small businesses, A-list amenities, and eye-catching design. Our three floors of coworking include everything from shared space to dedicated desks and private offices. Our first floor is designed with events in mind, and we’re thrilled to host community-centric happenings-both with our members and with groups around the city-from this re-imagined space. We can’t wait to meet you, hear more about what you do, and give you a tour.”

The Gaylord Building (from Common Desk)

“ The Gaylord Building at 226 North Front Street is a resurrected icon in the city of Wilmington, North Carolina. After four decades of vacancy, the historic building has been renovated with the unique design. This location has its perks, including close by riverfront views and walking distance to the local businesses and community that make this prominent downtown street so special. Three floors of striking design and thoughtfully arranged space allow tenants room to spread out, and Common Desk’s executive office suites lend flexible, dedicated space to teams of 1 to 24 people. Full access to amenities such as uncapped conference room use, bottomless drip coffee, in-house espresso bard, unique community events, and flexible spaces ensure that Common Desk-Wilmington’s (https:’’thecommondesk.com/location/Wilmington-coworking/) office suites in North Carolina have everything needed to make the workday thoroughly enjoyable.”

I enjoyed a tour of the building with McKay and Aaron and had an excellent cup of coffee in the front area.

Wilmington Downtown’s office is in the Gaylord Building. I asked Christina Haley, WDI’s CEO to comment on the impact of Common Desk on downtown Wilmington.

“The redevelopment of 226 Front Street into Common Desk represents a key milestone in the ongoing revitalization of Downtown Wilmington. After sitting for decades, the property was transformed by East West Partners into a coworking space that addresses the need for office space in the Central Business District while bolstering the downtown economy by attracting workers and patrons to nearby businesses, including restaurants and retail shops. Since its completion in 2021, the project has spurred additional investments, contributing to the transformation of the 200 block of North Front Street. Together with the North Front Street Improvement Project and the revitalization of Bijou Park, this redevelopment has created a ripple effect, encouraging new ventures such as Drift Coffee, Game Over Escape Room, and others still to come. Restoring this historic property has Reinvigorated the area, strengthened the fabric of the district, and contributed to a more vibrant and connected downtown. Today, the property remains nearly fully occupied and alive and activity, a remarkable turnaround from its vacant and deteriorated state just a few years ago.”

The following are the different rental opportunities at Common Desk:

Shared Desk Day Pass

Office Day Pass

Rent a Conference room

Rent Event Space

Private Office

Dedicated Desks

Shared Desks

Coworking For Teams

Student

Virtual Office

Team Suites