Euclid Media Group, the parent company of
Orlando Weekly, has sold the historic downtown Orlando building that has served as the
Weekly's home for years.
The Tinker Building at 16 W. Pine St. was sold to the Southern Group of Florida, a lobbying firm. The sale was brokered by Jere Matheny with First Capital Property Group between Lookout Realty group (owned by Euclid) and Southern. The sale closed on Jan. 7.
Orlando Weekly will be given the option to lease a part of the building.
“Selling the downtown office is bittersweet. When I picked that historic building, I thought we’d be there forever, but we have not utilized the office in nearly two years, and the staff enjoys working from home," publisher Graham Jarrett said. "I anticipate we will find another headquarters once the pandemic really settles down, yet its very likely we’ll have a much smaller footprint and give our staff flexibility to use the office when needed, rather than reporting to work for five full work days per week. It just made more sense to sell and have the building being utilized again.”
Matheny said that the sale will bring a different type of business to the area.
“As much as we appreciate downtown’s thriving hospitality industry, I’m excited we’ve attracted a high-quality, white-collar firm to invest and establish a headquarters in a historic building in Downtown Orlando,” he said. “Not only will it bring high-wage jobs, but having this firm and the people associated with it in our downtown further bolsters the importance of the Central Florida region, both politically and economically.”
“We are thrilled to have a permanent anchor in downtown Orlando,” said Kelly Cohen, The Southern Group Orlando’s Managing Partner. “Over 15 years ago, The Southern Group selected Orlando for our first regional operation laying the groundwork for what has become the strongest network of local government experts in Florida. This investment reflects our culture of being deeply immersed in our regional markets. We love this city and enthusiastically believe the opportunities for growth are endless. We look forward to many more years of success and engagement in the Orlando market,” Cohen continued.
After moving to Orlando in 1920,
Joseph B. Tinker (shortstop for the Chicago Cubs and manager of the Orlando Tigers) built a home for his real estate offices in 1925 on Pine Street. Tinker was the first Floridian to be selected for the Baseball Hall of Fame. Historic former tenants of the brick, terra-cotta, and glazed tile building include the Singer Sewing Machine Co., the Balfour Hardware Store, and Carey Hand, funeral home owner and son of Orlando's first enbalmer. The Tinker Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places on July 17, 1980.
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