Selling a seven-storey 'basket' building is no picnic
The basket building outside Columbus, Ohio, is one of the area's biggest attractions. But who would buy it? Photo: Barry Haynes

Selling a seven-storey 'basket' building is no picnic

Polly Mosendz

“You might see it three or four miles off before you come around the bend, and then you say, ‘That is a basket. That is unquestionably a basket,'” said Tom Rochon.

It is a basket, or rather, a seven-storey office building shaped like one – a massive facsimile of the signature picnic basket made by the company once headquartered there.

Some 64 kilometres outside Columbus, Ohio, the basket building, as it’s locally known, is one of the area’s grandest attractions, inviting quirky selfie-seekers, architecture nerds, and, of course, basket enthusiasts.

Despite its celebrity, its owner has had trouble offloading the gargantuan basket, due to its size, location, and – well, you’ve seen it, right?

When the property – slightly larger than another Ohio landmark, Cleveland’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame – was listed 18 months ago, the asking price was $USD7.5 million ($9.8 million).

Now it’s on the market for $USD5 million ($6.4 million) or about $USD28 ($37) a square foot, about half of what traditionally shaped office buildings in the area usually sell for, according to Columbus real estate adviser Bradford L. Kitchen, president of the real estate advisory firm Alterra.


The basket building in Newark, Ohio, from above.

The basket building’s listing agent, Michael Guagenti of Cushman & Wakefield, said commercial property in the area typically ranges from $USD50 to $USD80 ($65 to $104) a square foot.

The basket was built for about $USD32 million ($42 million) and finished in 1997, according to Guagenti, as a home for the Longaberger Company. Known for its kitschy baskets, both decorative and functional, Longaberger has been around since the 1970s and once boasted sales of $1 billion, largely the result of direct-sales agents who hawked baskets at Tupperware-esque parties.

But its sales reportedly fell to $USD100 million ($131 million) in 2012. As Longaberger moved workers from the basket building to a nearby factory, its Dallas-based holding company, JRJR Networks, for which Rochon works, decided to sell to “consolidate and streamline our operations,” chief financial officer Chris Brooks said in a June earnings statement.

Guagenti admitted it’s the most unusual property he’s tried to sell. “It’s a very challenging building,” he said. “We have had a couple [offers] but nothing that materialised.” Thus far, only developers have shown interest, though Guagenti declined to specify the number or size of the bids.

At 17,000 square metres, the basket is one of the largest buildings for miles around. Guagenti has reached out to local businesses in an effort to convince them to move, playing up the basket’s discounted price, but the space is too large for most. “Just no one is big enough to take that kind of basket on.”

And it’s not without other flaws. Paint has trouble adhering to its massive handles, which are heated to prevent snow buildup, and as a result they look chipped, said Rochon.

The entire basket could use a paint job, Guagenti agreed, though he said the interior is pristine and modern. “There’s nothing baskety inside,” he said. “Nothing makes you feel like it’s in a basket. You feel like you’re in a nice, high-rise office building.”


Some of the Longaberger company’s more conventionally sized baskets.

But while paint can be reapplied, the building can’t be moved.

“It’s like they say: location, location, location. It has two things against it: It’s a far location, and it’s a unique building. The location is probably what’s worse,” said New York-based real estate broker and author Brendon DeSimone.

Local real estate adviser Kitchen agreed: “It takes a special buyer that is willing to go to that location. It’s a little bit too remote, as it’s just outside Columbus. It’s pretty far out for a Columbus company to think of moving there.

“If the building were closer to town, Guagenti thinks he would have sold it by now.

That has meant rethinking how the building could be used. To lure a buyer, Guagenti has explored marketing it as ripe for being repurposed as an educational facility, nursing home, or call center-though he also thinks it would do just fine remaining an office building.

Experts agree it might fare best as a hotel or convention centre, using the building’s aesthetic to attract tourists. Although the area has a population of only about 47,000, Rochon said tour groups do occasionally make pit stops at the basket.

As for the fundamental basket-ness of it, it’s not clear how much can be done. Refacing the building isn’t much of an option, Guagenti said, because much like a basket, it’s narrower on the bottom and wider on top, which would look strange even without the woven exterior.

“But you could take the handles off,” he reasoned. “I’m sure a good architect could come up with some paint scheme to make it look not like a basket.”

Bloomberg

Get a weekly roundup of the latest news from Commercial Real Estate, delivered straight to your inbox!

By signing up, you agree to Domain’s Privacy Policy and Conditions of Use. You may opt out at any time.