Historic Buildings Demonstrate Modern Best Practices—GSA Case Study

​Completed in 1877, the Port Huron Federal Building & U.S. Courthouse (pictured) not only holds the title  of oldest federal building in continuous service in the state of Michigan, but it also is the oldest building owned and managed by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) in the entire Great Lakes Region. While the property clearly possesses a distinguished pedigree—the building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974—it might be surprising that the 44,575-square-foot facility also offers the finest in modern best practices.

Originally constructed to house the U.S. Customs Service, a post office and the federal judiciary in the growing lakeside town of Port Huron, the building now boasts the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Customs and Border Protection, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan and the United States Marshal Service as tenants. It also boasts a 2009-2010 International TOBY® Award in the Under 100,000 Square Feet category, thanks, in large part, to the GSA’s work to restore the historic lobby and modernize the facility. The management team thought the recent building improvements—including an upgrade to the heating and ventilating system, installation of energy management controls, exterior masonry repairs and boiler system replacement—also might help them gain the BOMA 360 designation.

Five BOMA State and Local Associations Honored with “Govies”

During its annual Winter Business Meeting earlier this month, the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International honored five local and state associations for excellence in grassroots and issues advocacy through the Government Affairs Awards of Recognition Program (the “Govies”). Each year, BOMA International’s State Government Affairs Committee acknowledges the outstanding work of BOMA state and local association volunteers in advocacy and education through the awards program. Govies are bestowed in three categories: Outstanding Government Affairs Committee, Single Government Affairs Issue and Single Government Affairs Program or Seminar.

In the category of Outstanding Government Affairs Committee, two Govies were awarded. Receiving the award for best small association was BOMA Utah for its impressive growth during the past year as it fully embraced the opportunity to lead the local commercial real estate industry by increasing advocacy activity. In particular, various members of the Government Affairs Committee attended state hearings and met with state legislators to defend the rights of property owners and managers against proposed changes to the commercial real estate industry.

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BOMA International Congratulates the 2011-2012 TOBY® Winners

The Outstanding Building of the Year^® (TOBY) Award, honoring the best of the best in commercial buildings, has seen outstanding participation during the 2011-2012 awards cycle. During the TOBY^® Award Reception and Banquet at the 2012 BOMA International Conference in Seattle, WA, 92 regional winners will be recognized and will compete in 14 categories to win the highest honor as an International TOBY^® Award recipient.

Click here for a complete list of 2011-2012 regional TOBY^®  winners.

Click here for the 2011-2012 BOMA International TOBY® Winners.