The Harrison, an upscale retail and residential complex, is the final phase of the Harrison Square project, which is comprised of the record-breaking Parkview Field, home of the popular TinCaps minor league baseball team; the Courtyard by Marriott hotel; a convenient 900-space parking garage; and the scenic Robert E. Meyers Park. The very busy Grand Wayne Convention Center is located across the street and Fort Wayne’s historic Embassy Theater is one block away.
The completion of the $18.5 million, four-story structure is a happy ending to a project that began as a condominium complex under the leadership of another company nearly five years earlier. When that concept failed, skeptics thought the entire venture might not ever succeed. However, in 2011, Mayor Tom Henry announced the creation of New Harrison, LLC to take over the project. Mark Hagerman, CEO of The Hagerman Group, and Simon Dragan, president of Whitley Manufacturing Co., partnered with Chris Schoen, Managing Principal of Greenstone Properties in Atlanta, to form the new company and finish the vision that was started a few years earlier. Hagerman’s Fort Wayne based development company was responsible for construction.
Within the first six months of opening, the 43 residential apartments located on the third and fourth floors of The Harrison achieved 100% occupancy, a feat considered unattainable by other luxury apartment complexes in Fort Wayne. Because of the overwhelming number of lease requests, a waiting list has been created for potential tenants who are anxious to call The Harrison “home”.
The entire second floor of The Harrison is leased by Carson-Boxberger LLP, one of the largest law firms in Fort Wayne. O’Reilly’s Irish Bar and Restaurant, along with Three Rivers Federal Credit Union, The Copper Spoon, Domino’s and Elijah’s Restaurant occupy commercial space on the first floor. Prime retail footage is still available with street level entry on the front of the building and high-demand outdoor patio seating on the concourse of the ball diamond.
The Harrison is now hailed as a success for downtown businesses and residential developments alike, helping to rejuvenate the center of our great city and making it a destination of choice once again.