Blackstone Sells D.C. Office Building To Spanish Billionaire For $231M

The office building at 815 Connecticut Ave. NW
The office building at 815 Connecticut Ave. NW

A 55-year-old office building near the White House that underwent a significant renovation in 2013 has just traded hands.

Blackstone sold the 815 Connecticut Ave. NW office building to Ponte Gadea, the investment vehicle of Spanish billionaire Amancio Ortega, for $231M in a deal posted Thursday to the D.C. Recorder of Deeds.

The sale of the 12-story, 236K SF office building pencils out to $979/SF. Cushman & Wakefield's D.C. capital markets team led by Bill Collins brokered the deal. The property last sold in 2016, when Blackstone bought it from Swedish pension fund Alecta Real Estate Investment for $190M.

The building, constructed in 1964, underwent a $30M-plus renovation in 2013 that earned it a LEED Platinum certification. Former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton toured the building in 2011 to kick off the Better Buildings Initiative, a nearby $4B program to make commercial properties more efficient.

Law firm Baker McKenzie is the anchor tenant in the building, with a 90K SF lease it renewed earlier this year until 2035, according to Compstak.

The deal is the second nine-figure D.C. office acquisition for Ponte Gadea in less than a year. The firm in December acquired 1501 K St. NW from a JV of J.P. Morgan Asset Management and JBG Smith for $385M, another deal brokered by Collins' team.

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

Distress Divide: How Private vs. Institutional Investors Are Thinking About D.C. Office

Interest Rate Hike Douses Outlook For Atlanta Developers

Lawmakers Punt On Stripping Approvals From 15 Projects In Data Center Alley

Chicago Office Deals Feature More Scrutiny, Added Tenant Protections

Tishman Speyer Retakes Chrysler Building, Plans $235M Renovation

Activist Investor Buys Stake In Empire State Building Owner

San Francisco Office Market Climbs, Fueling Demand For Large Blocks, Luxury Space

Affinius Relinquishes Big Office Building Next To Capital One Arena

One Thomas Circle, The Elevated Workplace For The Way D.C. Works

Hedge Fund Breaks NYC Record With $375-Per-SF Office Lease

Renewals Dominate In Years-Low Office Leasing Quarter

University City Office Market Improves Despite Slow Quarter In Philly