Philly Office Towers Trade At Steep Discounts As Pandemic Freeze Thaws

The period ahead of Labor Day can be a sleepy time for CRE, but that hasn’t been the case for Center City this year. The neighborhood’s office market has been absolutely buzzing.

Several skyscrapers along Market Street traded at steep discounts in recent days following years of extending and pretending in Philadelphia’s central business district. Valuation drops and special servicing updates in the neighborhood have also made headlines this week.

The Two Tallest Buildings In Philadelphia: The Comcast Center, Seen Behind Three Logan Square, And The Comcast Technology Center

CSB Holdings and Tide Realty Capital are buying the 29-story 2000 Market St. for $45.5M, the Philadelphia Business Journal reported Friday. That is a 58% drop from the nearly $108M the building sold for in 2018.

The new ownership told the outlet they plan to continue operating the 68% occupied tower as-is, making it the largest office property to trade in Philly postpandemic without a residential conversion plan.

Friday also came with news of Ten Penn Center’s sale to PMC Property Group for $30M, according to an unnamed source cited by The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The firm known for its residential conversions, including nearby Three Parkway, spent $30M. That’s just 40% of what the building at 1801 Market St. traded for in 2006.

Earlier in the week, news broke that Philadelphia’s largest office property at 1500 Market St. will be marketed as a conversion opportunity by court-appointed receiver CBRE.

The 36% occupied property known as Centre Square is expected to fetch $100M, less than one-third of the $328M Nightingale Properties and InterVest Capital Partners bought it for in 2017. The property was foreclosed on in 2023.

Other developments include a hefty valuation drop next door at Accesso Partners’ 1515 Market St. The building, which is in special servicing, is now worth just $28M, down 68% from 2014.

The building’s largest tenant, Temple University, reportedly plans to move out after buying a nearby former University of the Arts building for $18M.

Shorenstein Properties’ 1818 Market St. also entered receivership this month, with the owner owing almost $240M on the 37-story office tower, according to the PBJ.

Hilco Real Estate Senior Vice President Matthew Mason is the court-appointed receiver for the tower, which was 69% occupied earlier this year.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Philadelphia Newsletters
Related Stories

ISIF Commits €100M To IPUT's €500M Office Development Pipeline

Voorhees Greenlights 178-Unit Office-To-Resi Conversion Amid Multifamily Boom

Morningstar Releases New Details On Over 350K SF In Q3 Office Leases

4,500-Acre Data Center District Approved In Pennsylvania Town

Weil Gotshal Wind-Down Leaves 830K SF Hole In America's Office Market

'Distress Is Finally Trading': Investors Chasing Big Discounts On Boston Office

Office Recovery Moving Faster Than Expected, CoStar Finds

How Microsoft, Coca-Cola And Amazon Are Adapting Their Offices For AI Age

Affordable Housing Giant Starts $180M Philly Push: The Philadelphia Deal Sheet

'It's A 2-Way Street': Philly Hospital CEOs Seek Cost Savings From Architects, Builders

Hof Wonen Acquires 251 Social Rental Houses In New Mixed-Use Project In The Hague

Related, Oxford Land Tenant For Top Floors Of 70 Hudson Yards