The building that once housed Elite Fitness is now the Denton Square Business Center, which is leasing office space.

The Denton Square Business Center, located at 723 N. Interstate 35E, was an idea that was conceived about two years ago by Tina Bryant, who was approached to do the project.

She was asked if she could build another fitness center in its place, but said she had another idea.

DRC/Al Key

Denton Square Business Center, near Brookshire’s in the shopping center on the northeast corner of Interstate 35E and Teasley Lane, is putting the finishing touches on the former site of Elite Fitness and is waiting for its certificate of occupancy so businesses can begin moving into the office space it is offering for lease.

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Bryant said it would take a lot of work and money to get the building back up to code for a fitness center but she thought it would work as an office space.

The building was rundown and needed to be renovated in every aspect, she said.

Elite Fitness closed suddenly in 2005, leaving about 1,800 members without a place to work out and about 50 employees without jobs, according to Denton Record-Chronicle archives.

The building that was once 25,000 square feet is now more than 47,000 square feet, Bryant said. It has 800-square-foot to 6,000-square-foot spaces available.

It has a large common area in the center that opens up into the second story and there is a conference room that is open to all the tenants of the building. The conference room will allow for video conferencing.

John Withers of Scott Brown Commercial said he believes the two-story, class A office space will be one of the nicest spaces in the area.

The Denton Square Business Center is making final touches on the building and waiting for its certificate of occupancy so businesses can begin moving in. It currently has two tenants lined up, Bryant said.

Next door, Bryant and her husband will be opening a small, exclusive gym designed for the business professionals of the center and the area.

The gym, which will be called Benessere Active, will open sometime in the fall. Benessere is the Italian word for well-being.

Bryant said it will not be the typical rubber-meets-steel gym, adding that she plans to offer top equipment and a convenient location.

She said it was exciting “to bring something new and innovative to Denton.”

Bryant said she believes the space will offer a better return on investments than if it had been renovated back into a gym.

“It’s an excellent location,” Bryant said of the project. “It’s hip; it’s fun.”

RACHEL MEHLHAFF can be reached at 940-566-6897. Her e-mail address is rmehlhaff@dentonrc.com.