Zurich Moves On
Speaking of signs, Crown Realty Partners partner of leasing and marketing Scott Watson (snapped with colleague Emily Hanna) called to tell us that after 43 years, the Zurich Insurance sign at 400 University Ave has come down. “Time for a new brand to get top spot,” Scott says. Crown Realty Partners owns the building. Zurich moved to First Canadian Place, opening up 120k SF of space after its departure (27k SF has now been leased, to Olson Interactive and Investor Economics).
The signage is open to any leading brand seeking a minimum of 50k SF in the building. Scott says Crown is spending $10M upgrading building lobbies, elevators, washrooms, and installing new windows from top to bottom (PSF is $23 net, plus $16.85 additional rent). “We think it’s the best signage available today,” he says. In the photo is the sign coming down this past week. (If a company called Zu moves in, it could probably get a discount on signage.)
