Brown & Sharpe building sold

NORTH KINGSTOWN — Brown & Sharpe has sold its headquarters building here
to Precision Park Partners, LLC for $15.5 million. Brown & Sharpe sold most
of its precision measuring devices business to Hexagon AB of Sweden four months
ago, retaining only a computer software business, the 734,000 square foot manufacturing
plant here and a plant in England. Precision Instruments is owned primarily by
local developers. According to the announcement, commercial tenants will occupy
400,000 square feet of the building, Hexagon, which declined to purchase the building,
will lease at least 135,000 square feet of space for the next five years. Brown
& Sharpe will continue to operate, but under a new name, still to be determined
and in a new location, still to be found. Hexagon bought the Brown & Sharpe
name along with its purchase of the precision measuring business.