LOS ANGELES—Office space at the Bloc, a retail and mixed-use project in Downtown Los Angeles, is already 60% leased months before opening. The project reached this milestone with the completion of three new leases with DLR Group, Newmark Grubb Knight Frank and Studio One Eleven. The Ratkovich Co., National Real Estate Advisors and Blue Vista Capital are leading the $180 million renovation of the project, which will open in late 2015.

“It goes without saying that Downtown Los Angeles is one of the most important business hubs in the city,” Clare De Briere, COO and EVP of the Ratkovich Co., tells GlobeSt.com. “At the same time, it's been undergoing a rapid transformation in recent years to become an even more vibrant and creative neighborhood—both culturally and commercially. Our three newest office tenants all fit nicely into this creative, cosmopolitan and globally-influenced community that we're intentionally curating—especially given that the commercial real estate, design and architecture industries have been at the epicenter of Downtown's transformation.”

DLR Group has leased 35,000 square feet of office space, which will consolidate the firm's Santa Monica and Pasadena offices into one office space. Studio One Eleven, which is the architecture firm behind the project, has leased 2,500 square feet of office space. The office will help the firm service its L.A.-based clients and projects. Brokerage firm Newmark Grubb Knight Frank has leased 15,000 square feet of office space at the center. The move was inspired by the ongoing renovation in the area.