The list of major law firm relocations driving the D.C. office market continues to unfurl.
White & Case signed a lease to occupy 196K SF across 12 floors at Grosvenor’s 1701 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, the owner announced Wednesday in a joint release with the law firm’s broker, JLL.
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The deal kick-starts a two-year renovation project at the 1960s-era property across the street from the White House.
The work is set to include full exterior window replacements, a new rooftop penthouse, lobby and common area improvements, and a new fitness facility. It is expected to be completed in November 2028, and White & Case is planning to move in by December of the following year.
Grosvenor didn't disclose the cost of the renovation.
Once the renovation is complete, the property will total 208K SF, with White & Case taking 94% of its total office space.
“We’re pleased to reaffirm our long-term commitment to Washington, D.C. with this landmark lease that reflects strong client demand and a continued investment in our people,” White & Case Office Executive Partner Hansel Pham said in the release.
White & Case is currently at 701 13th St. NW, next to a Metro Center station entrance. The firm had signed a 149K SF renewal at the 421K SF building owned by Jamestown in 2014.
Grosvenor, which is the real estate development and investment business of the Duke of Westminster Hugh Grosvenor, has owned the Pennsylvania Avenue property for 40 years. It was last renovated in 2006, according to its website.
The property is home to ground-floor retailers Peet’s Coffee, Potbelly and Immigrant Food.
“With White & Case as the long-term tenant and a comprehensive renovation program, the delivery of this remarkable asset will set a new standard for the Pennsylvania Avenue corridor,” Grosvenor Executive Vice President of Investment Mark Purdy said.
Grosvenor was represented in the deal by Cushman & Wakefield’s John Skolnik and Michael Katcher.
In the years since the pandemic, D.C. trophy office development and redevelopments have been fueled solely by law firm anchor preleases.
BXP has two 320K SF trophy office buildings planned for law firm anchors in downtown D.C.: one at Metro Center and the other in the West End.
They follow Rockefeller Group and Stonebridge’s redevelopment of the former WMATA headquarters building for Crowell & Moring, which it completed at the end of the year, and Skanska’s ground-up 17xM, which it developed for anchor tenant Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher and delivered in 2024.
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