Wisconsin firm tapped for Tower Life office-to-resi conversion

J Jeffers & Company has joined the team that’s leading redevelopment of the landmark Tower Life building in downtown San Antonio. 

The Wisconsin-based firm, along with Ed Cross, Alamo Capital Advisors and McCombs Enterprises, will transform the 30-story, 240,000-square-foot office tower into affordable apartments, the San Antonio Business Journal reported. 

The decision to include Jeffers came after a rigorous national search for a company with expertise in adaptive reuse and using historic tax credits. The search committee, led by Cross and Jon Weigand of Alamo Capital Advisors, found Jeffers to be “head and shoulders” above others in terms of experience.

“The scale of effort in converting a historic building of the size and complexity of Tower Life is a real challenge,” Cross told the outlet. 

The development group acquired the 94-year-old Tower Life in May 2022 from the Zachry family, which had owned it for about 70 years. In December, Bexar County approved a memorandum of understanding for the building at 301 South St. Mary’s Street to be redeveloped into affordable housing.

Jeffers has a track record of converting historic buildings into apartment units, including the former offices of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Tower Life building’s design is well-suited for a residential conversion due to its small floor plates, high ceilings and large windows, said CEO Josh Jeffers. 

“There’s really not a lot of reconstructive surgery we want to do with this building,” Jeffers told the outlet. “Historic buildings that were designed before the modern era do tend to lend themselves to adaptive reuse a little bit better than office buildings built in the 1970s and forward.”

The developers aim to create 230 to 250 units, with approximately half designated as affordable housing, as part of a deal with Bexar County. In return, the developers will receive property tax exemptions and other incentives. Ground floor commercial space is also planned.

The next steps include completing the design phase with the help of local firm Alamo Architects, obtaining permits, getting approval from the Historic Design and Review Commission and applying for historic tax credits. Conversion work is expected to begin next summer. 

—Quinn Donoghue 

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