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Chicago Loop Acquisitions Announced By Beacon Properties

   Civic Opera Building And 200 West Adams To Be Beacon's First In Downtown
                                   Chicago

    BOSTON, Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Beacon Properties Corporation (NYSE: BCN)
announced today that it has agreed to acquire two office buildings in
downtown Chicago, the Civic Opera Building at 20 North Wacker Drive and a
29-story office tower at 200 West Adams, for an aggregate price of
approximately $132 million.  The purchases - Beacon's first in the Chicago
Loop - increase the company's total Chicago portfolio to 4.2 million square
feet.
    The 44-story, 824,000 square foot Civic Opera Building is being purchased
for $59.8 million, or $73 per square foot, from an affiliate of Fifield
Realty Corporation.  Originally completed in 1929, the building has
undergone a nearly $10 million renovation since 1994.  The building, which
overlooks the Chicago River, is the home of the Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Approximately 93 percent occupied, its tenants also include Williams &
Montgomery; Cassiday, Schade & Gloor; and The Rockwood Co.
    The purchase price for 200 West Adams is $72.2 million, or $107 per square
foot.  The seller is an affiliate of Amerimar Enterprises and Angelo,
Gordon & Co.  Completed in 1985, the 677,000 square foot building is located
on the northwest corner of Adams Street and Wells Street and includes
approximately 12,500 square feet of retail space.  It is currently 92 percent
occupied.  Major tenants include the General Services Administration; Cook
County;  Sapient Corp. ;  and Zurich Insurance.
    Alan M. Leventhal, president and chief executive officer of Beacon,
commented: "The office market in downtown Chicago is in the midst of a
strong recovery and this is a good time for us to make strategic
investments in the Loop.  The Civic Opera Building and 200 West Adams are
excellent properties and should make significant contributions to our Chicago
portfolio."
    Including Westbrook Corporate Center, Westchester, IL, acquired in May for
$182 million, Beacon's 1997 acquisitions to date total $710 million.  They
comprise:

    -- 10880 Wilshire Boulevard, Westwood, CA. 531,000 sq. ft.
    -- Centerpointe I and II, Fairfax, VA. 409,000 sq. ft.
    -- Westbrook Corporate Center, Westchester, IL. 1.1 million sq. ft.
    -- 225 Franklin Street, Boston, MA. 930,000 sq. ft.
    -- Sunnyvale Business Center, Sunnyvale, CA.  175,000 sq. ft.

    In addition, Beacon has announced it is undertaking, or plans to
undertake, the following development projects:

    -- Crosby Corporate Center, Bedford, MA.  256,000 sq. ft.
    -- 175 Wyman Street, Waltham, MA.  350,000-450,000 sq. ft
    -- The Media Center, Burbank, CA.  600,000 sq. ft. (with J.H. Snyder
Company)
    -- Riverside Center, Newton, MA.  500,000 sq. ft.

    As announced on September 15, Beacon Properties Corporation and Equity
Office Properties Trust (NYSE: EOP) have entered into a definitive agreement
and plan of merger.
    Beacon Properties Corporation, with headquarters in Boston, Massachusetts,
is one of the nation's largest real estate investment trusts (REITs).
Established in 1994 as a self-administered and self-managed REIT, the
company owns or has an interest in a portfolio of office properties located
in major metropolitan areas, including Boston, Atlanta, Chicago, Los
Angeles, San Francisco and Washington DC.  Beacon's office portfolio
currently totals 118 buildings containing 18.8 million square feet.  The
properties are approximately 97 percent leased with over 1,250 tenants.
Additional information about Beacon is available at the company's Internet
site at http://www.beaconproperties.com.
    Certain matters discussed in this press release may constitute
forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Federal securities
law.
    Although Beacon believes that the expectations reflected in such
forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, it can
give no assurance that its expectations will be achieved.  Factors that
could cause actual results to differ materially from Beacon's current
expectations include general economic conditions, local real estate
conditions, timely releasing of occupied square footage upon expiration,
interest rates, availability of equity and debt financing and other risks
detailed from time to time in the company's filings with the Securities and
Exchange Commission, including quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, reports on
Form 8-K and annual reports on Form 10-K.


SOURCE Beacon Properties Corporation




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CONTACT:
Alex McCallum for Beacon Properties,
617-330-1400