HOUSTON — (Realty News Report) – The Chamberlain Hrdlicka law firm has extended its lease at Two Allen Center, the office tower located at 1200 Smith Street in downtown Houston.
In recent years, Brookfield Properties has spent millions to improve the Allen Center complex, which has 3.2 million SF of office space, 50,000 SF of retail, and a hotel.
The law firm has been based at Allen Center since 1985. Under the terms of the new lease agreement, Chamberlain Hrdlicka will lease 55,178 SF of contiguous space in the Two Allen Center office tower on the 13th and 14th floors. The firm was represented by Cushman and Wakefield’s Tim Relyea, David Guion and David Endelman. Brookfield Properties was represented by CBRE’s Bubba Harkins, Russell Hodges and Jessica Ochoa.
“We are pleased to continue our long-standing relationship with Brookfield and Allen Center,” said John Meredith, Chief Operating Officer for Chamberlain Hrdlicka.
In addition to the lease extension, the law firm has retained Gensler architecture to design strategic office renovations and create a collaborative and functional space for the way people work today. The $6 million of improvements will include new community amenities and bring more natural light throughout the office space.
“With Chamberlain Hrdlicka’s lease extension came their vision for a refreshed workplace and an elevated experience for their employees,” said Kenneth Wiesehuegel, Gensler’s South Central Region Practice Area Leader for Professional Services. “We are working together to maximize access to daylighting and views by replacing the artificial lighting with LEDs and designing glass fronts on offices to magnify the already ample window lining the building affords us – a strategy that will affect the space all the way to its core. The design considers all employees with areas like the traditional break room being renovated into more of an amenity space and opened to the natural light.”
Major improvements have been completed by Brookfield Properties at its large-scale downtown office complexes, Allen Center and Houston Center. Strong competition among downtown landlords has prompted spend heavily on office building redos, as decades-old buildings, many of them built in the 1980s, try to avoid slipping into Class B status. New downtown office towers by Hines and Skanska enhance competitive in the downtown office market in Houston, which has one of the highest vacancy rates in North America.
At Allen Center, Brookfield retained The Office of James Burnett landscape architecture firm to create and outdoor space called The ACRE. It’s a tree-lined green space that features a lawn and seating that can be used for gatherings, outdoor fitness and break times. A berm that posed a barrier along Smith Street was removed along with an obstructive skywalk.
“Brookfield is deliberate in its efforts to integrate amenities that help tenants continue to attract and retain top talent. Chamberlain’s decision to renew its lease and continue to call Allen Center home speaks highly of the recent capital improvements that have been made to the campus and reconfirms our confidence that the robust amenities and retail offerings will continue to attract new businesses,” said Travis Overall, Executive Vice President and Head of the Texas Region for Brookfield Properties
Chamberlain Hrdlicka, founded in Houston nearly 60 years ago, also has offices in Atlanta, Philadelphia and San Antonio. The diversified business law practice is known internationally for its tax work.
“Chamberlain Hrdlicka is an excellent law firm and has been a great tenant in Two Allen Center for the last few decades,” said a statement by Cushman & Wakefield’s team of Tim Relyea, David Guion and David Endelman who represented the law firm. “After analyzing every possible alternative in Downtown, the firm elected to stay in Allen Center. The lawyers at Chamberlain Hrdlicka really like the recently completed renovations and amenities in and around Allen Center.”
The 36-story Two Allen Center, designed by Lloyd Jones Brewer & Associates, was completed in 1978.
Nov. 30, 2022 Realty News Report Copyright 2022
Photo: Allen Center photography by Peter Molick, courtesy of Brookfield Properties
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File: Attorneys Lease Downtown Office Space
File” Chamberlain Hrdlicka Attorneys Lease Downtown Office Space