Baylor Adds Its Ninth Floor at CBD Tower

DALLAS-Baylor Health Care System is adding a conference center and media room to its stack of office space in the Downtown. In a co-terminus pact with its 254,000-sf master lease, the hospital owner has grabbed the 23,431-sf second story to take its stack to nine full floors in Bryan Tower.

The second floor, empty for a couple years, will be ready to use in early first quarter 2009. Baylor’s expansion at 2001 Bryan St. drives the 1.1-million-sf high rise to 85% occupancy. “This is the highest it’s been since we’ve owned the building,” Jon Ruff, senior vice president of Houston-based Spire Realty Group LP, tells GlobeSt.com. And, he adds that an existing tenant is negotiating to add the 35th floor, the only opening in the 40-story building, to expand its office. The talks, though, are still in the early stages, he cautions.

Spire acquired Bryan Tower in late 1996 when occupancy was 15% and dipped to 8% in the following year. By 2000, Spire had completed a massive overhaul and began re-tenanting the class A space. Today’s rate is quoted at $18 per sf plus electric.