Brookfield Sells Bethesda Tower For 87% Less Than It Paid In 2011

Canada-based investment giant Brookfield has offloaded yet another D.C.-area office property for a massive discount.

Florida-based In-Rel Properties paid $20M for 3 Bethesda Metro Center, a 388K SF building next to the Bethesda Metro station, an In-Rel official confirmed to Bisnow. The 1980s-era property is 52% leased.

3 Bethesda Metro Center Next To The Bethesda Metro Station.

It’s a steep reduction from the $150.1M Brookfield paid for the leasehold in 2011, when it purchased it from The Meridian Group at 93% occupied. The Washington Metropolitan Transit Authority owns the ground.

Brookfield declined to comment.

The acquisition is meant to complement In-Rel’s office building across the street at 7500 Old Georgetown Road, which the company also purchased at a massive discount at the end of 2023. It's taken that property from 40% to over 80% leased, In-Rel said in a Tuesday press release shared with Bisnow.

Together, the properties make up what In-Rel is calling “In-Rel Plaza,” an “activated public gathering space.”

For 3 Bethesda Metro Center, In-Rel is planning a “substantial capital improvement program,” it said, including facade enhancements, a redesigned lobby, a new fitness center and a 100-person conference room.

“We see tremendous potential to reposition the property through thoughtful capital investment and active ownership, creating an environment that strongly resonates with modern tenants,” In-Rel Properties principal Jackson Siegal said.

Cushman & Wakefield's Ben Powell, Gwen Dominguez and Michael Katcher have been selected to lease the property.

Brookfield was one of the largest buyers of U.S. office in the years leading up to the pandemic. Those properties have faced a wave of distress over the last few years amid interest rate hikes and changes in how office space across the country is used.

The investment giant lost six Montgomery County office properties at a foreclosure sale in October, five of which were taken by the lender.

Brookfield put 3 Bethesda Metro Center on the market in September with JLL, the Washington Business Journal reported at the time.

Locally, In-Rel also owns 2033 K St. NW, a 127K SF office building in downtown D.C. that it purchased in July for $20.5M, and Ballston Gateway, a 146K SF property at 3865 Wilson Blvd. that it purchased in December 2024 for $25.7M.

CORRECTION, MAY 27, 9:30 A.M. ET: This story was corrected to reflect that In-Rel bought the leasehold interest in the property, not the ground lease.

UPDATE, MAY 26, 9 P.M. ET: This story was updated to reflect that Brookfield declined to comment.

Continue reading this story with a free account

Log in or register
Sign up for more articles like this
Subscribe to Bisnow's Washington, D.C. Newsletters
Related Stories

JVP Development Is Betting $37M Of Its Own Money That Frisco Is Ready For Spec Office

Hedge Fund Bids $88M For Spirit Airlines' Former HQ

270-Unit Manassas Gated Community Sells: The D.C. Deal Sheet

Oyster Point's Second Phase Half-Leased As Kilroy Navigates Soft Lab Demand

BXP Closes In On Next D.C. Office Development As It Shrinks Assets

Clarion Under Contract To Sell 18-Story Seaport Office Tower

Oil Company Expands Again At Cash Register Building

BXP's 343 Madison Lands $1.2B Loan, Nears Deal With Equity Partner

D.C. Sues To Block HUD Headquarters Move To Virginia

How Metropolis Is Bringing Parking Into The Future With AI And Recognition Technology

Ken Griffin Completes Takeover Of Brickell Block, Setting Stage For $2.5B Megaproject

Private Equity Firm Buys Former Texas Instruments Campus For New Headquarters