UMass Memorial expands downtown Worcester presence

SAM BONACCI Mercantile Center is made up of multiple buildings and a parking garage.

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By Emily Micucci

UMass Memorial Health Care has added nearly 18,000 square feet to its new IT offices in the Mercantile Center in downtown Worcester

The addition expands the provider’s footprint in the downtown Worcester building by 20 percent, according to Franklin Realty Advisors Inc., the developer.

UMass Memorial spokesman Anthony Berry said in an email that the system will begin moving its IT department into the Front Street offices by the end of the month. The move is designed to centralize IT operations as UMass Memorial revamps its IT infrastructure, a $700-million project announced last year.

Berry said the first phase of the move is expected to by complete by the first week of December, when UMass Memorial will occupy most of the second-floor of the building at 100 Front Street.

There’s more work to be done before the IT office move is complete. Berry said construction of the new offices is still underway, and the second phase is expected to be complete by the end of May, he said. When complete, about 500 employees will be housed in the new location.

The UMass Memorial expansion announcement Wednesday is part of a series of developments for Mercantile Center.

Kelleher & Sadowsky Associates, Inc., the office-leasing agent for Mercantile Center, is moving its headquarters to 120 Front Street in early 2017. The firm will phase into 7,380 square feet over a three-year period, according to Franklin Realty. Sheehan's, the Rhode Island-based office furniture dealer, will take a portion of the KS space and will use the space as a working showroom for its products, while the Worcester County Registry of Deeds, located in 100 Front Street, is extending its lease for five years, according to Franklin Realty.

"The improvements underway at Mercantile Center will make this property the best office location in the city. We wanted to have our team here in the exciting office environment we have created with Sheehan's," said Will Kelleher, a principal of the firm.