Cressy real estate makes a home in former Mishawaka Police Department, more businesses to come

 

MISHAWAKA, Ind. -- Local commercial real estate group, Cressy made the big move into its new headquarters in Mishawaka, occupying the second floor of the former police department. 

The new space accommodates the future growth of the company but is also a sign of future development downtown.  

“Downtown has been, kind of explosively growing,” says Noah Davey, a partner for Cressy Commercial Real Estate. “We got rid of the jail cells if you will, the holding cells and things, but there’s some homage to the history of the building.”

The re-imagined space, nestled up against the Mishawaka riverwalk, brings some vibrancy to that patch of land with opportunities for a potential neighbor to build up next door. 

“It really fits in well with everything that’s happening downtown,” Jeff Rea explains, CEO of the South Bend Regional Chamber of Commerce. “You see new housing, new offices, new retail shops, and some public uses that will follow in this space.” 

The city has already built up along the riverwalk with new developments like the Mill.

There's also been discussions of a Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area to attract more nightlife.

And there’s still room for more businesses at the old police station, with an empty first floor space that is screaming for a restaurant.

“We’ve had some good activity from people, some household names that you would know locally, so that’s a little teaser, but ultimately we don’t have a deal done,” Davey says.

“I’d be surprised if somebody doesn’t snatch up this space pretty good and build some kind of great space that people can all come and enjoy,” predicts Rea.

For the Cressy team, celebrating a move-in and 75th anniversary all in one day, it's the hub they’ve been craving for quite some time. 

“There are people within our company who I may see every 2-3 months, now that we’re all under one roof, it’s been almost daily,” Davey says.

There’s been rumors of a wine bar potentially occupying that first-floor space, Davey says he can neither confirm nor deny the rumors at this time.