The Corby Office Building remains the tallest building in the City of St. Joseph, Missouri, which is home of the Pony Express.  The building stood vacant for many years due to the lack of interest in high rise office space.  This prompted a developer to convert the building into what would fill a need for the local community: independent, service-oriented senior housing and support functions.  It seemed fitting that the most senior people in the community reside in one of their more historic and important landmarks.

The first floor of the Corby was converted to a restaurant and spaces for professional services.  Floors two through nine were converted to a variety of apartment units.  The top floors include several luxury apartments, and the former grain exchange penthouse was converted to a communal lounge, library, and dining area.  The view from this level is extraordinary.

The conversion included replacement or renovation of all key building systems, including mechanical, electrical, elevators, walls, windows, doors, finishes, and related.  The exterior facades of brick masonry and terra cotta were restored and repaired within the owner's budget requirements.

Since the building is on the National Register, we worked closely with the National Park Service in order to comply with federal requirements and obtain approval to remove elements of the building which no longer were desirable in the new reuse plan.