January 15, 2016
By Dance Aoki
Across the street from the statue of Chief Quipuha, one of Hagatna’s most visible commercial properties is now for sale.
The two-story 16,000 square foot property at the corner of Marine Corps Drive and Route 4 was once the long-term home of Designers Direct, and decades before that, the building was also the Guam Power Authority’s main office building. The owners of Designers Direct are now selling the property for $3.5 million.
Possibilities are endless for the open floor plan of the first and second floors with 8,000 square feet on each floor. There is space for an additional office on the roof, which opens to a rooftop that can also be utilized if the new owner chooses to do so. Customers will be able to gladly avoid the side streets of Hagatna when they come to visit thanks to the 24 parking stalls included with the property.
All together, the building sits on about 18,000 square feet—almost half an acre of land—in the heart of Hagatna. It’s close to high traffic areas like the Chamorro Village, the Agana Shopping Center, local banks, businesses, coffee shops, restaurants, and cultural landmarks such as the Dolce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica. Across Marine Corps Drive, the mouth of the Agana River pours out into the Philippine Sea, a setting that was once the inspiration for the Guam seal.
In the coming months, Hagatna will be undergoing even more development as the local government begins to pave the way for the 12th Festival of the Pacific Arts, which is set to take place from May to June near the Chamorro Village. In advance of the festival, another cultural landmark is set to open in Hagatna: the Guam and Chamorro Educational Facility, also known as the Guam Museum.
The village is expected to see even more additions as plans for the renovation of the Guam Congress building come to fruition, and the public library sees a renovation. These revitalization efforts are part of a local initiative that has brought government, community and business leaders together to revitalize the island’s capital, in hopes of turning it into a walking city, enjoyable for locals and tourists alike.
