Coldwell Banker Realty reopens its St. Armands Circle office

In 2022, Hurricane Ian destroyed the Coldwell Banker Realty office on St. Armands Circle. 

They repaired the necessities with the hopes of getting open fast, not thinking about how to prepare for future hurricanes.

“It was very plain because we were trying to get open fast after Ian,” said Managing Broker Ellen O’Day. “It had the gray luxury vinyl style on the floors and white walls. But we kept a lot of our original office then: our old sliding glass doors, the old bathroom and the original conference room.”

Hurricane Helene hit two years later. When it devastated the office again, the St. Armands location thought it was time for a new game plan. 

Coldwell Banker Realty on St. Armands Circle reopened its newly renovated office on Nov. 13 for the first time after Hurricanes Helene and Milton. As the office recovers, it saw it as an opportunity to renovate in a way that will prevent as much future damage as possible while also upgrading the space to match its clientele.

Photo by Petra Rivera

“The one thing I've learned by going through so many of these hurricanes is that there is such a resilience, not only in the communities but in the agents,” said Duff Rubin, the Coldwell Banker regional president of the southeast region. “Their business is put on hold for months and weeks. They know that this happens every year and then their job the day after is to go back to the community and say, ‘How can I be a service.’ So I'm excited for them to get back into their office and collaborate and see what they can do.”

When Hurricane Helene hit the Circle in September, the St. Armands office was flooded with about 4.5 feet of water. After being flooded three times this hurricane season, Coldwell Banker decided to focus on making its office flood-proof to avoid having to renovate again when the next hurricane hits.

This is particularly important for this location, given the amount of foot traffic it generates.

“St. Armands has brought itself where we are selling a lot of St Regis, the Ritz, Rosewood just from our walk-in business on the Circle,” said O’Day. “With 30,000 people walking past this office during the season, it is important that our offices match what we are selling and who we are selling to.”

Photo by Petra Rivera

Wanting to start fresh, the office was completely gutted. The renovations cost about $1 million, with $100,000 spent on replacing the roof alone.

The office now features durable waterproof drywall, double-coated epoxy floors and its new desks will be raised and rustproof. Keeping in mind its upscale clients, the office is also being upgraded with new lights and furniture.

Officially, all renovations are scheduled to finish the week of Nov. 25. The 150 agents who work out of the St. Armands location are excited to be under one roof again. 

“We are so happy to get our community back,” said Real Estate Agent Kelly Erb. “This office attracts a lot of businesses with just people looking at our listings on the window, so it is so important. We are happy to be back.”