Top 5 Office Transactions in Washington, DC

Washington, D.C.’s transactions activity remained steady through the first nine months of the year, according to Yardi Matrix data. The metro ranked third nationally for office investment volume, reaching $3.2 billion.

Assets in the market traded on average for $182 per square foot, below the $195 national average, as well as most of the other gateway markets. The following list comprises the five largest Washington, D.C. transactions in the first three quarters of the year. These deals totaled $712.9 million, more than 22 percent of the metro’s total sales.

1. Edison Place

In April, Exelon Corp. paid $175 million for Edison Place, a 364,000-square-foot office building within the city’s downtown. Brookfield Properties sold the 10-story asset after acquiring it for $169.8 million 21 years ago.

The new ownership will continue to use the property as the headquarters of its Pepco Holdings subsidiary. Pepco Holdings, the original owner of the 2001-built property, sold it to a Brookfield affiliate in 2004. In March 2016, Exelon acquired Pepco through a $6.8 billion merger.

The LEED Gold-certified mid-rise has floorplates averaging 36,400 square feet. Completed in 2001, the property also has 14,000 square feet of retail space.

2. Victor Building

A month earlier, Brookfield Properties also sold Victor Building, a 316,000-square-foot asset. Rockwood Capital acquired the property for $153 million using proceeds from a $113.4 million note originated by Deutsche Pfandbriefbank AG of Garching, Germany.

The asset’s value clocks in at $484.2 per square foot, more than double the metro’s $182 per square foot average registered in the first nine months of the year. However, the property traded for less than its previous sale price. In November 2005, Brookfield acquired the mid-rise from Smithsonian Institute for $157.5 million.

Built in 1909, the nine-story property underwent complete renovations in 2000 as well as cosmetic upgrades in 2021. The building originally served as attorney Victor Evans’ office for more than 20 years.

3. Highline at Greensboro District

In January, CIM Group paid $148 million to American Real Estate Partners for Highline at Greensboro District, a 460,851-square-foot office campus in McLean, Va. In 2022, CIM originated a loan for the same amount to refinance the property, but AREP defaulted on it.

The asset previously traded in April 2017, when The Georgelas Group sold it for $132 million, about $321.2 per square foot.

Completed in 2001, the complex consists of two 10-story twin buildings with floorplates averaging 21,597 square feet. Tenants at the property include IBM, Greystar and NeuroStar, according to Yardi Matrix.

4. Capitol Plaza I

In April, Easterly Government Properties acquired Capitol Plaza I, a 291,838-square-foot asset in Washington, D.C. Polinger Co. sold the LEED Silver-certified building for $118.8 million—or $407 per square foot. The price was 25 percent higher than its 2007 sale price.

The District of Columbia Government occupies 98 percent of the 12-story mid-rise, with the lease set to expire in February 2038. Completed in 2006, the property has 12,000 square feet of retail space and is less than 2 miles from the city’s downtown. Additionally, the building is part of a six-building, 1.7 million-square-foot project.

5. City Center

Rounding out the top five Washington, D.C. transactions is Nuveen Real Estate’s disposition of City Center, a 350,787-square-foot building. Tourmaline Capital Partners paid $118.1 million for the asset in March, amounting to $336.6 per square foot.

The company took out an $88 million loan for this acquisition. The sale price was almost half the $205 million one registered in September 2006, when Nuveen bought it from Loeb Partners Realty.

Completed in 1993, the property went through complete renovations in 2013 and cosmetic upgrades in 2021. The LEED Platinum-certified, 12-story building has floorplates averaging 31,000 square feet, as well as first-floor retail space.