Downtown Cleveland skyscraper sold to NY firm with big retail portfolio

Ken Prendergast / February 5, 2024

According to two sources, Downtown Cleveland’s third-tallest skyscraper has sold to a New York-based company that has more than its share of cheap or faded retail properties including many in Ohio. But the parking garage for the skyscraper, 200 Public Square, was reportedly sold separately to a buyer in Chicago that owns downtown parking properties nationwide, one of the sources said.

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The downtown tower that almost was

Ken Prendergast / January 13, 2024

High construction and financing costs along with a longer move-in timeline doomed an intriguing new Downtown Cleveland headquarters building for a growing tech firm relocating from Mayfield Heights. Those construction market headwinds along with the rise in remote working led to Park Place Technologies finding an existing office campus next to Interstate 271 in Highland Heights near its current offices that fit its needs like a glove.

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Downtown Cleveland skyscraper sells cheap

Ken Prendergast / December 27, 2023

According to a well-placed source, Downtown Cleveland’s third-tallest skyscraper is under a purchase agreement from a New York City-based buyer. The 45-story Huntington Building, also known as 200 Public Square, has seen its share of challenges since the pandemic and the rise of remote working nearly four years ago as other office properties have. That is one reason why the building has reportedly sold for a vastly discounted rate.

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Oswald HQ moving to Flats East Bank

Ken Prendergast / December 15, 2023

Oswald Companies today announced that it has entered into a lease agreement to move its headquarters to a larger space at the former Ernst & Young tower on the East Bank of the Flats, a prominent fixture on the downtown skyline. Once all necessary approvals are received, the move will be completed in 2024 and plans include a name change to Oswald Tower.

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Progressive’s office spaces to be slashed

Ken Prendergast / July 26, 2023

All Progressive Insurance employees received a notice this morning announcing that, due to remote working, the company would be slashing the square footage of active office spaces and attempt to sell or lease those it will no longer occupy. As a result, about 850 employees who continue to work in the office will be consolidated into the company’s Campus 2, 300 North Commons Blvd. It will also move the corporate headquarters from Campus 1, 6300 Wilson Mills Rd., but remain in Mayfield Village.

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Greater Cleveland office market still struggling

Ken Prendergast / April 11, 2023

Newmark, one of the world’s leading real estate services firms, issued its first quarter 2023 (23Q1) office market report for Greater Cleveland today and it continues to show a worsening situation in the region’s office sector. While only one submarket within Greater Cleveland showed an increase in office occupancies, none are taking it on the chin more than the central business district (CBD), its retailers, restaurants and transportation providers. But that data may have been disproportionately affected by a major deal.

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Berkadia to expand at Key Tower

Ken Prendergast / March 27, 2023

By the end of this year, commercial loan originator Berkadia Commercial Mortgage will be showing off its greatly expanded offices on the 14th floor of Key Tower, 127 Public Square. And that expansion offers a couple of statements about Greater Cleveland’s economy in general and downtown Cleveland in particular.

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More downtown firms making moves

Ken Prendergast / March 5, 2023

Three legal and financial service firms in downtown Cleveland are on the move to new addresses in the central business district, with two firms seeking smaller spaces as part of an ongoing trend by many office-based employers to downsize their work spaces after the pandemic. The third firm moved to accommodate significant new growth in Cleveland. And each firm is staying downtown, investing in their new office locations, with none of the three seeking a reduction in employment. Indeed, even as some office spaces shrink, the number of employees at those tenants’ aren’t shrinking. Instead, they are taking advantage of remote working and web-based contact with clients.

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EY moving across downtown

Ken Prendergast / February 14, 2023

Although rumored for weeks, the announcement that EY (formerly Ernst & Young) is moving its offices out of one of only two trophy-class buildings in downtown Cleveland still came as a surprise to some longtime real estate executives. The 23-story office tower at 950 Main Ave. at Flats East Bank that bears Ernst & Young’s name has been one of downtown’s most expensive and successfully leased since it opened in 2013.

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Downtown’s next high-rise to turn residential

Ken Prendergast / February 2, 2023

Downtown Cleveland’s next office-to-residential conversion project appears to be in the works. But this one might not be a total changeover to a new use. Ohio Savings Plaza, with more than a half-million square feet divided among two buildings has something big going for it — it’s half-filled with office tenants. Or, half-empty if you’re a pessimist.

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