Switch to expand into iconic Virginia Street Post Office building in downtown Reno

The iconic Virginia Street Post Office building will soon be home to the internet data storage company Switch.

Switch announced earlier this month that the company has leased office space within the historic downtown building located at 50 South Virginia St.

“It is a great positive for us and the downtown community to have a company like Switch decide to come to our downtown area and setup offices; it is extremely important,” Bernie Carter, managing member of 50 South Virginia LLC, said in a phone interview with NNBW.

Carter said that Switch is leasing a substantial amount of space within the building. The company will occupy the entire second floor and plans to move into the space after renovating it to meet their needs.

“When they complete their tenant improvements they will move right in,” Carter said.

According to a statement by Switch, the offices will serve as a collaborative workspace for many of the company’s clients.

“The expansion into this iconic and historic building links the beauty of the building’s past with the current adaptive reuse of an amazing space, and connects it to our future vision for Nevada,” Switch Executive Vice President Kristi Overgaard said in a press release. “This presents the perfect creative and innovative environment for Switch’s collaborative team. The best part will be designing our space in what we call an ‘Art Techo’ approach to respect the building’s architectural importance.”

The company’s other investments in Northern Nevada include their 1,200,947-square-foot data center within the Tahoe Reno Industrial Center along with the UNR’s Innevation Center, powered by Switch.

“Switch is not only a global technology leader, but a strong community partner and we are excited about their expanded investment and presence in our downtown core,” Reno Mayor Hillary Schieve said in the press release.

Additionally, the historic post office building is continuing to attract companies to downtown Reno. Carter said that another tenant also has leased office space on the third floor of the building. He could not disclose the name of the tenant at the time of the interview but said that the company will be making the announcement soon.

50 South Virginia LLC took over ownership of the Post Office building in August 2012. Carter and his team brought new life to the building after renovating the space through an extensive adaptive reuse project. Today, the building is home to the national retailer West Elm along with a variety of businesses that occupy the lower level, known as The Basement, including Rawbry, Sugar Love Chocolate, Global Coffee, Escape and more.

Our goal was to attract business that would bring vibrancy to the downtown area, Carter said. Attracting Switch “is a huge step in that direction.”