(HOUSTON) – Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today that the international law firm of Kirkland & Ellis LLP has signed a 62,000-square-foot lease at 609 Main at Texas, the new downtown office tower developed by Hines. Located at the corner of Main and Texas streets in downtown Houston, the 48-story, 1,050,000-square-foot office tower will be complete in early 2017. Upon project completion, Kirkland will relocate its 75 Houston office employees to the building from 600 Travis Street.
Kirkland was represented in lease negotiations by Chad Baker and Steve Burkett at JLL. Colvill represented Hines, the building developer, owner and manager.
Designed by the internationally recognized architectural firm Pickard Chilton, the project's north and south façade will extend skyward, culminating in a dramatic diagonal crown, creating a new, highly visible downtown landmark. The property is pre-registered LEED®, and is expected to attain Platinum certification upon completion.
Hines Senior Managing Director John Mooz said, “We could not be more pleased with Kirkland & Ellis choosing 609 Main at Texas for their new home. Hines has had a 10+-year relationship with the firm and we are excited to continue on that path as they are joining one of the best next-generation multitenant buildings in the U.S.”
Kirkland also leases more than 674,800 square feet in Hines’ 300 North LaSalle in Chicago and, 3330 Hillview Ave. in Palo Alto, Calif.
“We are excited to provide our lawyers and staff a truly world-class new home that reflects our ambitions for the Houston office. In less than two years, our Houston office has grown to include 45 lawyers. Our new space will provide an environment responsive to the needs of our clients and our people as we continue to build out key areas of the practice,” said Andrew Calder, a partner at Kirkland.
Hines is a privately owned global real estate investment firm founded in 1957 with a presence in 199 cities in 19 countries. Hines has $87 billion of assets under management, including $43 billion for which Hines provides fiduciary investment management services, and $44 billion for which Hines provides third-party property-level services. The firm has 104 developments currently underway around the world. Historically, Hines has developed, redeveloped or acquired 1,100 properties, totaling over 346 million square feet. The firm’s current property and asset management portfolio includes 531 properties, representing over 186 million square feet. With extensive experience in investments across the risk spectrum and all property types, and a pioneering commitment to sustainability, Hines is one of the largest and most-respected real estate organizations in the world. Visit www.hines.com for more information.
Kirkland & Ellis is a 1,600-attorney law firm representing global clients in complex corporate and tax, restructuring, litigation, dispute resolution and arbitration, and intellectual property matters. The Firm has offices in Houston, Beijing, Chicago, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Munich, New York, Palo Alto, San Francisco, Shanghai and Washington, D.C.