Monday, December 2, 2013

Lincoln-Cushman Team Brokers Connecture’s Lease of 28,299 Square Feet at 55 Allen Plaza in Downtown Atlanta

  
55 Allen Plaza, Downtown Atlanta, GA


Tony Bartlett

ATLANTA, GA (Dec. 2, 2013) – Lincoln Property Company Southeast (Lincoln), in conjunction with the Atlanta office of Cushman Wakefield, has brokered Connecture Inc.’s new lease of 28,299 square feet of office space at 55 Allen Plaza, a Class-A, 350,000-square-foot office tower in downtown Atlanta that Lincoln manages and leases.

Tony Bartlett, senior vice president at Lincoln, and Andy Sumlin, leasing director at Cushman & Wakefield, represented the landlord in the transaction, while Cushman & Wakefield brokers Carla Williams and Jeff Samaras represented the tenant.

Andy Sumlin
Cushman & Wakefield is a longtime tenant of 55 Allen Plaza, and the Atlanta office of the firm co-markets and leases the building with Lincoln.

Connecture, which provides Web-based information systems used to create health insurance exchanges, will occupy the entire fourth floor of the building. The firm’s 11-year lease will bring the occupancy rate of 55 Allen Plaza’s office space to 93 percent.

Connecture’s lease marks another significant moment in the improvement of 55 Allen Plaza that began when Lincoln purchased the building on behalf of a pension fund client in 2011.

Carla Williams
New building amenities and increased operational efficiencies have resulted in several industry awards.

Also, leasing efforts in 2013 have successfully resulted in more than 53,000 square feet of leases. In addition to Connecture, Lincoln executed leases to top-notch tenants like Doner Partners, Fogle Law Firm and Ernst & Young.

Lincoln has recently completed the construction of three spec suites totaling 8,000 square feet, which allow 55 Allen Plaza to offer small suites to tenants for the first time. The spaces offer high-end finishes, open ceilings, polished concrete floors and designer lighting.

Jeff Samaras
The Bread Box, a café that serves breakfast, lunch and Starbucks coffee and also features fresh-baked bread, has opened in the building. Carlyle’s Catering, a well-known Atlanta-based firm, operates the café.

Furthermore, 55 Allen Plaza achieved LEED Gold Certification last year and was recognized in July of this year by the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge for achieving a 20 percent reduction in energy and water consumption.

The building also has been designated a BOMA 360 Performance Building by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International.

The BOMA 360 Performance Program recognizes commercial properties that demonstrate best practices in building operations and management. Fewer than 50 buildings in Georgia have earned the designation.

Centennial Olympic Park
“I could not be prouder of the effort our team has put into 55 Allen Plaza and of the results we have achieved,” Bartlett said. “The advances have been remarkable, and 55 Allen is undoubtedly a best-in-class asset within the Downtown and Midtown office market.”

Overlooking the Downtown Connector on downtown Atlanta’s northern edge, 55 Allen Plaza provides tenants with access to all of Atlanta’s sub-markets.

As part of the Allen Plaza mixed-use development, the building is surrounded by amenities including restaurants, the W-Atlanta Downtown Hotel & Residences, retail and Centennial Olympic Park. Prominent tenants in the building, which opened in 2007, also include Ernst & Young, Skanska and the design firm ASD.

For a complete copy of the company’s news release, please contact:

Stephen Ursery
The Wilbert Group
404-405-2354


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