DALLAS — August Real Estate, a Dallas-based development firm founded by brothers and industry veterans Evan and Jordan August, has launched with two redevelopment projects in the city’s historic Deep Ellum neighborhood. The first project involves the restoration of The Continental Gin Building, which was built in 1888, into a modern office complex with the feel of a boutique hotel that will feature a 22,000-square-foot coworking space from local operator Common Desk. August is also renovating the building at 333 1st Ave., which was built in 1926 and most recently occupied by Nordstrom’s Trunk Club, to offer 36,000 square feet of office space. The projects are expected to be complete in the first and second quarters of 2021, respectively.
WATERTOWN, MASS. — Newmark Knight Frank (NKF) has negotiated two commercial leases totaling 46,966 square feet at Riverworks at Aetna Mills in Watertown, a western suburb of Boston. In the first deal, industrial 3-D printer manufacturer Markforged signed a 36,291-square-foot renewal. In the second transaction, pharmaceutical intelligence provider InCrowd signed a 10,675-square-foot renewal. Mark Roth, Brianna Piacitelli, Brendan Daly and Matthew Malatesta represented the landlord, Paradigm Properties, in the lease negotiations. Chris Lawrence of JLL represented Markforged, and Brooke Blue of T3 Advisors represented InCrowd.
CHICAGO — The Meadow, a 3.5-acre rooftop terrace, has opened at The Old Post Office building in Chicago. Situated on the 13th floor, the space includes a basketball court, running track and bistro and bar area. The rooftop park is part of the 2.5 million-square-foot restoration and repositioning of the building, which reopened in November 2019. Tenants include Uber, Walgreens, Ferarra Candy Co., HomeChef and Cboe. Gensler and Hoerr Schaudt Landscape Architects designed the rooftop. BEAR Construction served as general contractor. “The Meadow represents a timely launch of next-generation tenant amenities, offering workers access to ample outdoor space that allows for multiple modes of use,” says Sheryl Schulze, principal and global repositioning and landlord services leader at Gensler. “Access to daylight, outdoor air and contact with nature is no longer an option; it’s an expectation.”
LISLE, ILL. — Colliers International has arranged the sale of 2400 Ogden Avenue in Lisle for an undisclosed price. Built in 2000, the office property spans 121,000 square feet on 10.4 acres. It has more than 500 parking spaces. At the time of sale, the asset was 71 percent leased to ARRIS Solutions Inc. and Automated Logic. Alissa Adler and John Homsher of Colliers represented the institutional seller. A local investor purchased the property.
CLEVELAND — BridgeCore Capital has provided an $8 million bridge loan for the acquisition of a historic office building in downtown Cleveland. The undisclosed borrower plans to convert the building, currently 42 percent occupied, into a 436-unit apartment property with a mix of office and retail space. The loan features a 12-month term with a fully funded reserve for interest and a 65 percent loan-to-value ratio. Akron-area businessman Agostino Pintus and his business partner Kenny Wolfe purchased the Rockefeller Building for $13.3 million, according to Cleveland.com.
SOMERVILLE, MASS. — A development team of DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners and Leggat McCall Properties has topped out a 290,000-square-foot life sciences project at 100 South St. in Somerville, located on the northern outskirts of Boston. The project is part of the Boynton Yards development and will house lab and retail space as well as a four-story underground parking garage. Architecture firms SGA and Hashim Sarkis Studios designed the project, and Shawmut Design & Construction served as the general contractor. Construction began in June 2019 and is expected to be complete next summer.
READING, PA. — Marcus & Millichap has brokered the sale of The Madison Building, a 113,300-square-foot office property in Reading. Originally built in 1927, the property is situated on 1.1 acres and rises 12 stories. Craig Dunkle, Jackson Day and Mher Vartanian of Marcus & Millichap represented the seller, a limited liability company, in the transaction. The trio also procured the buyer, an out-of-state developer that will convert the building into a Class A apartment complex. The Madison Building was 97 percent vacant at the time of sale.
CHERRY HILL, N.J. — JLL has secured two office leases totaling 63,089 square feet at Woodcrest Corporate Center in Cherry Hill, a suburb of Philadelphia. Digital platform provider Conduent Business Services LLC renewed its 30,887-square-foot lease, and Penn Interactive Ventures, an operator of mobile gambling apps, signed a lease for 32,212 square feet. Dan Close and Rick Widerman represented the landlord, Crown Properties, in both sets of negotiations.
CHARLESTON, S.C. — Cushman & Wakefield has arranged the $23.8 million sale of 134 Meeting Street, a 71,947-square-foot office building in downtown Charleston. The asset was 93 percent leased at the time of sale to tenants including law firms K&L Gates and Sinkler & Boyd. The building was renovated in 2015 to include a new HVAC system; upgraded lobbies, restrooms and common corridors; and a 1,702-square-foot fitness center with showers. Jared Londry, Rob Cochran and Nolan Ashton of Cushman & Wakefield represented the seller, Cobalt Property Group, in the transaction. Highland Ventures, a separate account client of Insite Properties, acquired the property.
NEW YORK CITY — Real estate private equity firm Madison International Realty has signed a 25,000-square-foot office lease at 300 Park Avenue in Manhattan. The company will relocate from a 14,000-square-foot space at 410 Park Avenue in mid-2021. Tishman Speyer owns the 26-story building, which spans 773,056 square feet and was originally built in 1955. Howard Fiddle and Evan Fiddle of CBRE represented the tenant in the lease negotiations. Gregory Conen and Samantha Augarten represented Tishman Speyer internally.