FROM THE LENS GRE AT WORKSPACES
Planning and Foresight Growth, collaboration and tech savvy define St. Claude Avenue-based real estate broker Urban Vision’s trajectory BY M E L A N IE WAR NE R SPE NCER PHOTOS BY SAR A E SSE X B R ADLEY
IN NOVEMBER 2019, BOUTIQUE REAL estate broker Urban Vision moved from its offices on Ulloa Street to a space on St. Claude Avenue. The brokerage originally opened in 2007 and was housed above the Mid-City Yacht Club, of which owner and co-broker MJ Sauer is a co-owner. “It was convenient at the time so I could help run the bar,” said Sauer. “As we outgrew the space, and the bar also needed more space, we acquired 4025 Ulloa Street and did a complete post-Katrina gut job renovation. We eventually found this gem of a building on St. Claude that hadn’t been occupied since Hurricane Katrina. It had such good bones and historic beauty, and with the commercial (enterprise) going, we set our sights on that as our future office.” The circa-1913 building is 3,000 square feet and, according to architects Sauer met with, is possibly a Sears and Roebuck kit home. Neighbor Charmaine Neville told Sauer it was “originally a boarding house for African American longshoremen run by an African American woman who ran a tight ship and had strict curfews.” Sauer recently took time out to share some of the details of the design and the brokerage business, which in January 2020 joined forces with Keller Williams New Orleans. (Some answers may have been edited for clarity and brevity.)
What were your goals for the overall design concept and why? The design goals were to keep it simple and retain as much of the original character as possible. We didn’t move any walls, with the exception of reworking the extra-large bathroom to a smaller
56
BIZ NEW ORLEANS
OCTOBER 2021
The Urban Vision offices are housed in a circa-1913 building that — according to architects with whom owner MJ Sauer met — was possibly built as a Sears and Roebuck kit home. A neighbor told Sauer the building was “originally a boarding house for African American longshoremen.”
We wanted our office to feel very homey, so we utilized home furnishings and custom-built pieces.” MJ Sauer of Urban Vision, owner of the building and co-broker of Keller Williams New Orleans
bathroom and two closets. The hardwood floors are simply stunning, and we left them a natural color with a simple satin coat. We wanted our office to feel very homey, so we utilized home furnishings and custom-built pieces. What were the biggest design challenges and how were they overcome? The building challenged us to imagine how a 100-plus-year-old kit home could
become a versatile space that Realtors — and a yet-to-be-known tenant downstairs — could occupy while serving the community. Ultimately, we renovated the place and then found a wonderful tenant in Zuri Nelson, who owns and operates Botanicals NOLA, a healthy supplement and smoothie shop. He is a wonderful partner to have in the building and it is such a nice addition to the neighborhood to have a healthy option.
