Fifteenfortyseven Critical Systems Realty (1547) and Harrison Street have acquired a carrier hotel data center in South Bend, Indiana.
The data center operator and investment firm this week announced the acquisition of the Global Access Point Union Station data center located in Northern Indiana.
The financial terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
Located in the Union Station, the facility offers access to more than 20 telecommunication network service providers.
Now known as SBIN1, the site totals 75,000 sq ft (6,965 sqm) and offers 2.9MW of capacity. There is a planned 1.6 MW increase of incremental power capacity (600kW available Q1 2026, 1MW available Q1 2028), according to 1547's website.
"This acquisition aligns with our strategy to expand our connectivity-focused portfolio and enhance our service offerings across the Midwest," said J. Todd Raymond, CEO of 1547. "Not only is South Bend a critical market for customers given its proximity to major Chicago data hubs and its growing, tech-driven economy, but the facility itself is deeply networked, making it ideal for businesses and enterprises with robust connectivity needs."
Michael Borchetta, managing director in transactions at Harrison Street, added: “Sitting at the convergence of some of the largest fiber paths nationwide that provide connections for more than 20 carriers, Union Station offers robust existing infrastructure that is well suited to address the needs of high-demand users in a region with limited existing supply."
Opened in 1929, the site was used as a rail station for nearly 50 years. Closed in 1972, it was acquired by local developer Kevin M. Smith in 1979 and converted into a data center in the early 1990s.
Smith started data center firm Global Access Point in the early 2000s, which offers services from the Union site - as well as four other sites across Indiana, Illinois and Missouri.
The South Bend Redevelopment Commission purchased Union Station from Smith for $2.4 million in July of this year. There is reportedly interest from city officials in using the site as a rail station again, with interest from Amtrak.
As part of the purchase deal, South Bend sold Smith the former Claeys Candy building for just $1,000 so he can move his data center there.
The South Bend Tribune reports Smith is looking to sell Global Access Point in the near future.
“I wanted to sell the data center because it was consuming about 60 percent of my time,” Smith said, adding that he also wanted to get the old train station back into the public domain.
A spokesperson for 1547 & Harrison Street told DCD the data center is a separate portion of the overall property acquired from Kevin Smith/Global Access Point, rather than the city.
"There is no intention by 1547/Harrison Street to turn this into a train station," they told us.
1547 has data centers in New York, Oregon, Hawaii, Wyoming, Wisconsin, Texas, and Illinois.
Harrison Street has previously partnered with 1547 to acquire the Pittock Block carrier hotel in Portland, Oregon; the Chase Tower carrier hotel in McAllen, Texas; and the Wells Building carrier hotel in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Harrison Street also acquired CIM Group’s stake in four US data centers co-owned with 1547.
