This January, Heather Lennon is celebrating the 25th anniversary of her company Imagine General Contracting, which began as a design firm and evolved to become a commercial and residential general contracting firm specializing in retail and historic building restoration. On June 1, 2022, Lennon, along with her business partner-uncle, took occupancy of their newly acquired historic building — Warehouse215, located at 215 E. Grant St. From the onset and throughout the restoration, Lennon took great care to restore the building to its initial glory.
The building, which boasts 28,000 square feet of interior space and 9,000 square feet of outdoor patio space and honors the art-deco style of its original era, can be rented for large events of any type. The space can be broken down into individual areas so multiple events can be held at once and includes a Series 6 Liquor License so a varied array of events can be hosted. Warehouse215 can also accommodate weddings and smaller functions in its ancillary spaces. In the future, the company looks forward to offering additional space ideal for even more private events.
“History is spoken loudest in the things we build and the things we leave behind,” says Lennon, owner and CEO of Imagine General Contracting as well as founder of Warehouse215, originally built in 1918, and Raconteuse Cigars, a new cigar experience within the historic building that offers both onsite and offsite events. “I love that this space can be enjoyed again and be protected. I hope to impactfully benefit the community by bringing buildings back to their former glory. I feel like this building is singing again.”
Warehouse215 was originally a laundry business, Phoenix Linen & Towel, which supported many local residents in the Phoenix area.
With her decades of general contracting and design experience, Lennon has learned the very specific and exacting nuances it takes to lovingly reveal a building’s original character and maintain that character in its current state. She takes pride in revealing the history of the building and its previous inhabitants.
Warehouse215 provides a “blank slate” for large events with a 2,555 person interior capacity. Since launching the reimagined Warehouse215 in September, the space has been utilized to welcome major events for TURO, Equality Health, Women in Sports and Entertainment, Dress for Success, Visit Phoenix, M Culinary’s 25th anniversary, the Black Bar Association and more. Lennon has also partnered with Maricopa County Health Services in hosting vaccination events, which have so far resulted in administering more than 5,000 vaccines for local Phoenix residents — with more to come.
“Our history is our legacy. My goal is to save the history of Phoenix one fabulous old building at a time,” she says, adding, “We have an open-door policy and everyone is welcome here.”
Lennon says the company is an LGBTQ+ ally and is working with a few local community colleges in an effort to establish internship programs designed for women in construction and entrepreneurship. Warehouse215 is dog friendly and has the capacity to host 420 friendly events as well.