Thursday, January 30, 2014

Sneak peek: What 1900 Market St. might look like



Brandywine Realty Trust will begin redeveloping 1900 Market St. in Center City midyear, and aims to complete the major overhaul by 2015.

A sneak peek at what the Radnor, Pa., real estate investment trust might do with the interior and exterior of the structure shows a dramatic and uplifting revamp of the 456,922-square-foot structure, known as the Stock Exchange Building.

It was developed by the late Willard G. Rouse III and was his first foray into Center City. Rouse & Associates constructed the building in 1981, and law firm Cozen O’Connor and the Philadelphia Stock Exchange ended up being anchor tenants.

The building was designed with a large interior atrium that was replete with foliage. Cope Linder Architects designed it and, at the time, won a gold medal for its design from the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and an honor award from the Pennsylvania Society of Architects.

Its shining past has dulled. The building hit on some hard times, looks dated and is losing its anchor tenant, Cozen O’Connor, which is relocating to One Liberty. It is currently 77 percent leased. It's a value-add opportunity for Brandywine (NYSE: BDN).

The renovation looks to bring the property up to Class A standards and, while it won't exactly be turned into trophy space, it will bring some high-end office space onto what is a tight trophy and Class A market.

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