Two major City of Tucson departments—Transportation-Transit Services Division and Urban Planning & Design—have moved into new downtown digs recreated from an old 1950s building at 149 N. Stone Ave.

The $4.7 million renovation project puts to use a city-owned building that previously was almost empty and gives the city departments who are occupying the new building a more centralized location in an energy-efficient structure.

Bruce Woodruff, project manager for the city, said the city had to decide between tearing the building down or renovating it and opted for renovation because the structure had "good bones."

The four-story, 8,386-square-foot building, originally home of the defunct Pima Savings and Loan and known as the Pima Building, had much of its original 1950s exterior restored—especially the exterior red brick façade, said Paul Mickelberg, leader of the project and a principle at Welman Sperides Mickelberg Architects.

The exception is that the original vertically long and narrow—and energy inefficient—windows have been replaced by broad, energy-efficient, high performance windows and attractive awnings and an energy-efficient curtain wall was installed as part of the renovated façade. Woodruff said the renovated building is estimated to be 40 percent more energy efficient than the unimproved structure.

The ground floor’s 3,595 square feet of space have been designed to accommodate retail or community functions. Currently, a small restaurant, the Café Poca Cosa, occupies one corner. The Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) moved to the other corner in February from its previous location on Toole Avenue.

Randi Dorman, MOCA vice president, said the move to the Pima Building is only transitional until the organization can find a permanent home—hopefully downtown. MOCA’s gallery space at its Toole Avenue location was inadequate, she said, but the museum has been able to create much better space at the Pima Building location and is drawing stronger interest. She said the museum planned its fall exhibit opening Saturday, Oct. 4 from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m. for members and 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. for the public.

The Transit Division’s 15 employees have set up headquarters in the Pima Building’s first and second floors, moving from a rented office just off Broadway.

In a stroke of good timing, the Urban Planning and Design Department’s 30 employees recently occupied the third and fourth floors of the Pima Building, moving from the triangular-shaped MacArthur Building in time for the city to sell the structure to Madden Media for that company’s downtown headquarters.