Once the site of swimming and sweat, a former Bally’s Fitness Center built in the late 1980s in the Arizona Business Park, 15401 N. 29th Ave., has itself undergone a total makeover to become the new headquarters of Retinal Consultants of Arizona (RCA).

The 36,378 square-foot building sat vacant for more than six years prior to James Greaves, CEO of G2 Capital, purchasing and fully renovating the site. The renovation project for the building, which was purchased for about $1 million in April, included a refurbished interior and exterior, new landscaping, parking lot redesign and surfacing; as well as new glass, stucco, paint and roof. It sold to RCA in January for almost $4 million. The project took five months to complete.

“It was a full-size gym with a swimming pool, running track, dance studio and more,” Greaves said. “It needed a creative eye and some elbow grease to repurpose the building from a shuttered health club to a modern office building. We took the building from extremely outdated to essentially new.”

A majority of building slated to open later this year will focus on the Retinal Research Institute. The Institute is currently the largest active research institute in the country focused exclusively on diseases of the retina, macula and vitreous. The institute and the RCA physicians are sought after for their expertise and dedication to researching and studying new treatments of retinal diseases and have contributed to the advancement of new drugs, treatments and surgical processes.

“RCA was able to get a new building for much lower than replacement cost,” Greaves added. “And, surrounding tenants are enthusiastic for their new neighbor and for a once-vacant project to take on new life.”

RCA, which started in Central Phoenix in 1980, will continue to operate its 35 Arizona clinics after this building opens.

“This expansion demonstrates our commitment to Arizona, and ensures easy access to the best retina care in the world,” said Dr. Pravin Dugel, managing partner, Retinal Consultants of Arizona. “We strive to offer the highest level of care and expertise to those we serve, and it is important that we are easily accessible to all Arizonans facing treatable retina diseases causing vision loss or blindness.”