Trade Group Signs 2-Floor Lease At 655 New York Ave.
The American Chemistry Council has signed a 93K SF lease in Mount Vernon Triangle, relocating from a building next to Union Station.
The association is taking two floors at 655 New York Ave. NW, bringing 200 employees to the new space, property owners Brookfield Properties and Douglas Development announced Thursday.
“This long-term lease is a clear signal that high-quality, amenitized buildings continue to attract leading organizations and companies that recognize the inarguable importance of an office environment that fosters collaboration, creativity, and growth,” Brookfield Properties Executive Vice President Bobby Swennes said in a release.
The tenant is relocating from Station Place III at 700 Second St. NE, where it signed a 90K SF lease in 2008, the Washington Business Journal reported at the time. That building, owned by Property Group Partners, was also recently vacated by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which downsized by 210K SF as it renewed its lease at the Station Place I and II buildings for up to five years.
The ACC’s new home is in a 762K SF project delivered in 2019 that consists of an assemblage of 19 historic building facades and a new 11-story office tower. Shalom Baranes Associates designed the property.
“Not everyone gets to walk in an office space and be surrounded by what is essentially their life’s work,” ACC President and CEO Chris Jahn said in the release.
“But for our ACC staff — who advocate for the important role chemistry plays in transforming how we live, work, and play — that’s exactly what it will feel like. And being closer to the White House, too, will further symbolize ACC’s commitment to advocate for the people, policies, and products of chemistry at the highest levels of government,” he said.
CBRE's Lou Christopher, Charlie Carrocio, Jordan Brainard and Asher Inman represented the tenant, while CBRE’s Mark Klug, Randy Harrell, Carroll Cavanagh, Emily Eppollito and Dimitri Hajimahalis represented the landlords.
Ahead of the New York Avenue project's 2019 delivery, education and healthcare consulting firm Advisory Board Co. inked a 500K SF anchor tenant lease in the building, subsequently announcing it would move its education offshoot, EAB, in as well. EAB eventually decided not to make the move and renewed its space in the West End.
WeWork signed a 107K SF lease at 655 New York Ave. in 2020, but the coworking space has since closed. Google took 130K SF at the property in spring 2022, the Washington Business Journal reported at the time. Ground-floor retailers in the building are Rumi’s Kitchen, Capital Burger, Pearls Bagels, Kinship, Metier and Compass Coffee.
