Prompted by increasing office rental rates, law firm Eller Tonnsen Bach has purchased the three-story Dobson Jones law firm building along South Church Street in Greenville and will give the building a much-needed facelift.
After analyzing the costs, attorney Eric Tonnsen said the firm’s partners realized they could buy the building “for roughly the same amount as we could rent.” Eller Tonnsen Bach purchased the 1.3- acre lot and building on Feb. 1 for $1.4 million.
Tonnsen said his firm has grown from three lawyers and two staff members when they started in 2012, to nine lawyers and seven staff, leaving their existing 3,800-square-foot space on Augusta Street very cramped. “The current space on Augusta Street is a terrible layout,” he said.
The firm primarily focuses on litigation, insurance and workers’ compensation.
For several decades, Dobson Jones law firm has occupied the 18,000-square-foot building at 1306 S. Church St. and will remain. The company has moved to the second floor of the building and is leasing 6,000 square feet from Eller Tonnsen Bach.
Eller Tonnsen Bach will occupy the remaining 12,00 square feet, which gives the company room to grow. Renovations will include a lot of exterior uplift, including adding additional windows to the semi-dark building. A new lobby entrance will be created, and restrooms, conference rooms and break rooms will be updated.
“It’s a good location for us and it moves us closer to downtown,” said Tonnsen. The company expects renovations to be completed for a move in May or June.
