Colorado Real Estate Journal - June 17, 2015
A downtown Denver law firm has signed a lease for the top 2½ floors of 1601 Wewatta, Hines’ new Class A office building in the Union Station neighborhood. Hogan Lovells LP signed a 15-year lease for 70,000 square feet in the building, which will be completed in early July. It will join Colorado Athletic Club, which will operate a 38,000-sf flagship health club on the entire second floor. Hogan Lovells currently is located in the Tabor Center at 1200 17th St. “We have enjoyed being in one of downtown’s premier buildings and now we look forward to being an anchor tenant in 1601 Wewatta,” partner Craig Umbaugh said in a statement. “The redevelopment of the Union Station area has created a great vibe and energy in the city.” “Hines has a 30-plus-year relationship with Hogan Lovells in Washington, D.C., and we are very proud that they have chosen to build on that relationship with us here in Denver,” said Hines Director Gordy Stofer. “Additionally, with Colorado Athletic Club as the premier health club operator in the Denver area, they will provide an unmatched amenity to both our building and the Union Station neighborhood.” “It is exciting to finally see the Union Station area fully come to life,” added Jay Perlmutter, principal with Jordon Perlmutter & Co., a joint venture partner in development of 1601 Wewatta. Doug Wulf of DTZ represented Hogan Lovells in the transaction. Neil Macey of Denver Equities represented the athletic club, and Chris Phenicie of CBRE represented the ownership in both transactions. An iconic 10-story building, 1601 Wewatta was designed by the Washington, D.C., office of HOK. Whiting-Turner is the contractor. The LEED Gold-precertified building will contain 283,000 sf of office space, 17,000 sf of first-floor retail space and four levels of underground parking. There will be 10-foot finished ceilings and several outdoor terraces. With completion of 1601 Wewatta, Hines has broken ground on its next downtown Denver development, 1144 Fifteenth, a 40-story, 600,000- sf office tower. The company owns and manages nearly 1 million sf of space in the Denver area.