Dix & Eaton Focuses on 'Vibrancy and Energy' for New Bulkley Building HQ

The New Dix & Eaton Headquarters Redefines the Office Experience in Downtown Cleveland

Read the Crain's Cleveland Article below

Renovations for the firm's new headquarters are part of a $44 million update of the Bulkley Building, 1501 Euclid Ave., Kelly said. In January 2024, Playhouse Square received $1.95 million in tax credits, part of which was earmarked for this redevelopment.

Dix & Eaton Chairman and CEO Chas Withers said the firm has a long history with Playhouse Square, dating back to its co-founder, Henry Eaton, being “one of the driving forces in the complete renovation” of the theater district.

“I think he’d be really excited about the fact that we’re moving to Playhouse Square,” Withers said of Eaton, who died in 2003. “He’d feel really good about that.”

Eaton served on the board of Playhouse Square for nearly two decades. Scott Chaikin, Dix & Eaton's former chairman and CEO, is currently a member of the board. Withers said the search for new HQ space goes back about five years.

“We were looking around for a space that we felt like it suited us culturally, gave us the room and resources to do our work really well, and we love that part of town,” Withers said. “ I feel like there's a vibrancy there, but also, it's really in this growth mode …”

Parking was a factor, he said, as the new location will be more accessible and “much more affordable” than the premium and expensive options near the current office. The new space is also near many partners, friends, and organizations that the firm has worked for.

The Bulkley Building was one of seven or eight spaces within the Cleveland area that Dix & Eaton looked at, but when firm officials walked in, “We were like, this is where we want to be,” Withers said. 

Dix & Eaton was able to build out the space to meet current needs on the eighth and ninth floors of the building, with input from employees, Withers said. The firm is renting the space.

DVA Architecture is the project architect, and Whiting-Turner Contracting Company is the construction partner. Construction is wrapping up and the anticipated first in-office day for employees is May 6. 

“We want the office to be a destination of choice for people,” Withers said. “So, a great place to collaborate, be with your colleagues, do the work, but also a place that you want to come to because there's a vibrancy and energy and creativity to it.”

Dix & Eaton offices are open every day, but hybrid employees are asked to be in the office on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. There are 70 employees within the company: 40 in the main Cleveland office, 10 remotely throughout the country and the rest in St. Louis from a November 2023 acquisition.

The firm wanted more conference rooms and collaborative areas than it has at its current headquarters on the 39th floor of the Huntington Building. Withers said the new location will also have an open kitchen, shared common spaces, and uninterrupted sightlines from one side of the office to the other. The conference rooms will have dual screens to recreate face-to-face experiences with remote coworkers. Content will be displayed on one screen, and views of callers will be displayed on the other.

Withers said confidentiality is important to the firm because it handles financial and crisis matters for clients. So, while the eighth floor will have open spaces for collaboration, doors will close for privacy.

There will be an open-flow staircase on the eighth floor that will lead to the ninth floor in addition to an elevator.

The ninth floor is more open to collaboration for workers. It provides spots to bring in those who work in St. Louis and serves as an “overflow and expansion space,” he said. It also allows the firm to host events. 

The outdoor patio on the roof gives employees another place to work, or it can be used as an additional event space.

“We wanted to have the space be a place people want to come to, both in terms of the work they do, but also the ability to socialize with each other,” Withers said. “We're a very collegial group ... so I'm pretty sure it's going to be a well-used space.”