Dr. Antonio Pacifico, a local cardiologist who leads the Texas Arrhythmia Institute, put together the investment group that bought Enron's shuttered headquarters at 1400 Smith St. Pacifico didn't return telephone calls by publication time for comment on the acquisition.

A source close to the deal tells GlobeSt.com that $45 per sf was "very rich pricing" for an empty building in the midst of an economic downtown and one with no parking facility to call its own. The source puts the cost of the parking lease, which has less than 15 years left on the term, at more than $3.5 million per year--a fee that must be paid to owner Trizec Properties Inc. regardless of the number of tenants in the building.

Richard Rudd with the Houston office of Granite Partners handled the sale on behalf of Enron. He says the building was very widely marketed and believes the "pricing reflects the market." He wouldn't comment on the inner workings of yesterday's negotiations, but did say the auction was done by noon. For previous story, click here.