This week, Blackhawk Properties & Investments, LLC began construction at 550 S. Andrews Ave. in downtown Fort Lauderdale.

Upon completion in the spring of 2019, the property will consist of the 550 Building and SOLO Shoppes, a 95,532-square-foot, seven-story tower with six floors of office space and 7,500 square-feet of restaurant and patio space on the ground floor.

Featuring an attached parking garage with more than 600 spaces, the Class A building will be the first new office building in downtown Fort Lauderdale’s South of Las Olas (SOLO) District since 1989.

“The 550 Building will be a great addition to an area that is burgeoning with residential development and lacking in modern office, retail and restaurant space,” said Joseph Byrnes, a senior vice president with Berger Commercial Realty/CORFAC International, the exclusive leasing and property management firm for the 550 Building. “Several office tenants and restaurant operators have been monitoring the progress of the project and are actively speaking with us to advance their plans for occupancy.”

Formerly home to the Justice Building, the site was purchased by Blackhawk Properties for $3.6 million in 2013. In 2016, Blackhawk acquired the neighboring site, previously owned by former Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle, to accommodate the parking garage and SOLO Shoppes. The lot is adjacent to the Broward County Judicial Complex at the northeast corner of Andrews Avenue and S.E. 6th Street, which boasts one of the highest pedestrian traffic counts in Broward County.

Developers of the 550 Building include Thomas McDonald, Kate Murphy of Collins Capital Partners and William Murphy of Douglas Management. The 550 Building is designed by the award-winning architectural firm of Falkanger, Snyder, Martineau and Yates (FSMY).

Along with Byrnes, Senior Vice President Steve Hyatt with Berger Commercial Realty is serving as the property’s exclusive leasing agent.