Wednesday, June 25, 2008

D.C.'s First Design for Platinum-Certified Office Building Unveiled


WASHINGTON, DC /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- The joint venture of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (NYSE:PNC) and Vornado/Charles E. Smith has unveiled its plan for Washington, D.C.'s first office building designed to achieve U.S. Green Building Council LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification. (Above center photo of 800 17th Street/PNC Place)

LEED Platinum reflects the highest level of environmentally sustainable building design recognized by the council.
800 17th Street/PNC Place, a new 365,000 square foot office building, will be built at the corner of 17th & H Streets, NW, just two blocks from the White House.

PNC's regional headquarters and offices will occupy a portion of the building, with approximately 300,000 square feet available for lease.

A PNC branch bank will be located on the retail level."800 17th Street/PNC Place brings to the Washington market a building that combines the highest levels of sustainable design with one of the most strategic and prestigious locations in the city," said Mitchell N. Schear, (middle right photo), president of Vornado/Charles E. Smith, the developer, leasing and management company for the new building.

"This high-performance Gensler-design in the heart of Washington demonstrates PNC's commitment to the Washington region and our ongoing leadership in sustainable design and development," said PNC Bank Regional President Michael N. Harreld. (top left photo)

PNC currently has more LEED-certified buildings than any other company in the world. In London on June 16, the Financial Times and the Urban Land Institute presented PNC with an international award for its green building efforts.
The Sustainable Cities Award recognizes PNC's leadership in environmental sustainability.

"800 17th Street/PNC Place, the first LEED Platinum office development in the District of Columbia, sets a new bar for environmentally responsible, quality development in our city," said Mayor Adrian Fenty (top right photo).

The Mayor has recently led new legislation requiring LEED certification for DC Government buildings.Through the collaboration of Gensler architects and green building consultant Paladino & Company, the building design envisions unique, environmentally focused attributes.

These include the Eco Lobby, featuring a three-story climate wall that radiantly cools the lobby with flowing water. The climate wall parallels a glass walking bridge over the open portion of the concourse below. 800 17th Street/PNC Place will be capped with a green roof to increase energy efficiency and filter storm water.

Completion of the new 12-story building is expected in the 2nd quarter of 2010.

The Vornado/Charles E. Smith team has developed many of Washington's landmark buildings including 2099 Pennsylvania Avenue, The Warner, 1999k, The Investment Building, The Bowen Building, and 2101 L Street. Vornado/Charles E. Smith is a division of Vornado Realty Trust, a fully integrated equity Real Estate Investment Trust (NYSE:VNO).

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. (http://www.pnc.com/) is one of the nation's largest diversified financial services organizations providing retail and business banking; specialized services for corporations and government entities, including corporate banking, real estate finance and asset-based lending; wealth management; asset management and global fund services.

CONTACT:

Patrick McMahon, +1-412-762-2477, or Sonia McCormick,+1-202-835-5486, both of The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc., corporate.communications@pnc.com; or

Mara Olguin of Vornado-Charles E. Smith,+1-703-769-1244, molguin@vno.com


HFF Closes Sale of Class A Downtown Milwaukee Office High-Rise


CHICAGO, IL – The Chicago office of HFF (Holliday Fenoglio Fowler, L.P.) announced today that it closed the sale of Milwaukee Center (above center photo) , a 373,516-square-foot, Class A office tower in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

HFF managing directors Jaime Fink (top right photo) and Jeff Bramson (top left photo) and director Daniel Kaufman led the investment sales team on behalf of the seller, Transwestern Investment Company.

HRPT Properties Trust purchased the property.

Located at 111 East Kilbourne Avenue, Milwaukee Center is situated directly across from City Hall in Milwaukee’s central business district.

The 28-story property is part of the larger Milwaukee Center mixed-use development, which also includes a 220-room InterContinental Hotel, The Pabst Theatre, The Milwaukee Repertory Theatre and an 820-stall parking garage, all connected via an enclosed galleria and colonnade.

Milwaukee Center is currently 93% leased to tenants including Marshall & Ilsley Trust Company, Davis & Kuelthau, S.C., Legion Insurance Company and AXA Equitable Life Insurance Company.

Transwestern Investment Company, L.L.C. is a principal investment firm specializing in commercial real estate. Since its inception in 1996, Transwestern has acquired interests in over 440 office, retail, industrial and multifamily properties representing a gross investment of more than $9.8 billion.

HRPT Properties Trust is a real estate investment trust (REIT) that primarily owns and leases office buildings. As of March 31st, it owned $6.3 billion of office and industrial properties with approximately 65 million square feet located in 37 states and Washington, D.C.

HFF (NYSE: HF) operates out of 18 offices nationwide and is a leading provider of commercial real estate and capital markets services to the U.S. commercial real estate industry. HFF offers clients a fully integrated national capital markets platform including debt placement, investment sales, structured finance, private equity, note sales and note sale advisory services and commercial loan servicing.

CONTACTS:

Jaime M. Fink, HFF Managing Director, 312 528 3650, jfink@hfflp.com

Jeffrey M. Bramson, HFF Managing Director, 312 528 3650, jbramson@hfflp.com

Laurie Fish McDowell, HFF Associate Director, Marketing, 617 338 0990, lmcdowell@hfflp.com

Cushman & Wakefield Negotiates Sale of Oak Grove in Biloxi, MS for $22M


TAMPA, FL– Cushman & Wakefield’s Florida Apartment Brokerage Services with apartment specialists in Tampa, Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, announce the sale of Oak Grove Apartments (middle right photo) for $22,000,000.

The purchaser was JL Real Ventures. Executive Director Byron Moger (top left photo) and Director Luis Elorza negotiated the sale on behalf of the owner, National Commercial Ventures.

Oak Grove, located in Biloxi, Mississippi at 248 Debuys Road, only six miles from Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport was built in 2000. It is a 274,568 square foot, 244-unit apartment community that offers a mix of 1, 2 and 3 bedrooms. Oak Grove provides its residents a swimming pool with Jacuzzi, fitness center and covered parking.

“JL Real Ventures recognizes the opportunity in this market. They acquired an asset with tremendous upside.” said Byron Moger of Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.


In other separate leasing activity:

Cushman & Wakefield negotiated a new 16,725 square foot lease at Westshore Corporate Center (bottom right photo) with, Maxim Healthcare Services, Inc. Established in 1988 with headquarters located in Columbia, Maryland, Maxim Healthcare Services is one of the fastest growing providers of home health, medical staffing and wellness services in the healthcare industry.

Westshore Corporate Center, located at 600 North Westshore Boulevard in Tampa, Florida, is a 167,537 square foot, 12-story, class “A” suburban office building.

Mercedes Angell, Director; and Jeff Lanning, Associate (Office Brokerage) with Cushman & Wakefield, negotiated the lease on behalf of the landlord, America’s Capital Partners.


Cushman & Wakefield Negotiates Expansion of 8,930 SF at Independence Center

TAMPA , FL – Cushman & Wakefield negotiated the expansion of an additional 8,930 square feet at Independence Center with CIBER, Inc. Founded in 1974 with corporate headquarters located in Greenwood Village, Colorado, CIBER, Inc. is a publicly-traded company that provides information technology solutions for both private and government sector clients.

Independence Center is a 190,987 square foot business park located at the intersection of Independence Parkway and George Road in Tampa, Florida. Mercedes Angell, Director; and Jeff Lanning, Associate (Office Brokerage) with Cushman & Wakefield, negotiated the lease on behalf of the landlord, Denholtz Associates.

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Cushman & Wakefield Negotiates 6,500 SF Lease at First Park at Brandon

RIVERVIEW, FL– Cushman & Wakefield negotiated a new 19,940 square foot lease on behalf of First Industrial and First Park Brandon II (photo at left) for the tenant, SeniorMed LLC. SeniorMed is a nationwide institutional pharmacy that formed recently as a result of a joint venture by Walgreen Co. and Senior Health Partners LLC. They have been servicing assisted living communities for over ten years and will operate at First Park as a service center.

First Park Brandon II is a Class A office and industrial park located in Riverview, Florida.
Bill Reeves, Associate Director (Office Brokerage) with Cushman & Wakefield along with his partners Mercedes Angell, Director; and Jeff Lanning, Associate, negotiated the new lease on behalf of the landlord, First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc.


To view our current multifamily listings, please visit http://www.apartments.cushwake.com/ or

Contact:
Byron Moger, Executive Director, Cushman & Wakefield, Inc. PH: 813.204.5316 byron.moger@cushwake.com

The Trump Organization and Nakheel to Sell Most Expensive Penthouse in Dubai


NEW YORK, NY/PRNewswire/ -- Two of the world's leading developers -- Nakheel and the Trump Organization -- have come together to announce the Trump International Hotel & Tower (top right photo) in Dubai on the Palm Jumeirah, the iconic man-made island in the Arabian Gulf. (bottom right photo)

A grand celebration occurred at Park Avenue Plaza in New York City ... with a red-carpet reception under a 60-foot dome erected for the event.

Donald J. Trump, (top left photo) Melania Trump, Ivanka Trump, Demi Moore, Naomi Watts, Heidi Klum, Al Roker & Deborah Roberts, Thom Filicia, Amy Sacco, Denise Rich, Ann Jones, Jonathan Tisch, Aby Rosen & Samantha Boardman, Marvin Traub, Kelly Bensimon, Dylan Lauren, Eric Villency & Kimberly Guilfoyle, Sante D'Orazio are a few of the many celebrities who were in attendance at the larger-than-life event.

A highlight of the spectacular Trump International Hotel & Tower will be the two expansive penthouse residences designed by one of Architectural Digests Top 100 interior designers, Kelly Hoppen. Hoppen is best known for introducing the "East Meets West" philosophy to interior design, which has remained her signature over the years. The classic Kelly Hoppen look is defined by using straight lines, symmetry and a neutral and subtle color palette to create balance within the home.

CONTACTS:

Miranda Rowe, +1-212-981-5247, Miranda_rowe@dkcnews.com, or

Rachel Harrison, +1-212-981-5278, rachel_harrison@dkcnews.com, both of Dan Klores Communications for Nakheel;

Aaron Richardson, Media Relations Manager of Nakheel, +971-4-368-6946, +971-50-5538201, aaron.richardson@nakheel.com; or

Selma Langer, Vice President of Marketing of The Trump Organization,+1-212-715-7287, slanger@trumporg.comWeb site: http://www.nakheelmediacenter.com/