Denver-based law firm Sherman & Howard L.L.C. has signed a lease at Block 162, a 30-story, 606,000-square-foot, Class A speculative office building, located at 675 15th Street, between Welton and California Streets in downtown Denver. This lease represents the largest new office lease signed in downtown Denver in the past 12 months.
Block 162 is being developed by Patrinely Group with USAA Real Estate and is planned to be certified LEED Gold Core and Shell at completion.
“We believe Block 162 represents the best new office building in Denver, with the most up-to-date design and Covid-19 responsive features,” said Robert Fields, president and CEO of Patrinely Group. “To attract tenants of the caliber of Sherman & Howard, we have created an amenity-rich environment with large, light-filled floor plates and tall ceiling heights, along with generous parking and sweeping Front Range views. Our lease with Sherman & Howard is a testament to the attractiveness of Block 162 and a signal of how important quality, safety, and flexibility are to tenants today.”
Sherman & Howard selected Block 162 because of the advantages the space offers to attract and retain top talent, elevate the service it provides to clients and the community, and allow the firm to lead the way for a new type of office environment. Those features include its sustainable, energy-efficient, technology-forward and flexible design, health, safety, and wellness features, prime Central Business District location, unrivaled transit and vehicle accessibility, including ease of access to I-25 and adjacency to light rail and the 16th Street Free Mall Ride shuttle, as well as spectacular Front Range views. The Denver-based law firm, with a team of about 230 lawyers and staff in the area, will occupy nearly 60,000 square-feet on levels 23 and 24 of the building, beginning Q4 2021.
“Relocating the firm’s headquarters to Block 162 allows us to reimagine our workspace to reflect rapid and profound changes in the role of physical space for today’s law firms, increase operational efficiency through purpose-designed floor plans, and deliver a hospitality-forward experience for our clients, guests, and teammates. As an Am Law 200 firm and one of Denver’s leadings firms, we believe our space should match our team’s energy and innovation. Our new location will enable the type of collaboration which has emerged as the new standard for professional service firms. Block 162 provides a modern day-to-day work experience through multifunctional workspaces equipped with expansive views of downtown, an abundance of natural light, and state-of-the-art technology. Announcing Block 162 as Sherman & Howard’s new headquarters is the first step in bringing our vision of the future of the firm to life,” said Sherman & Howard’s Chief Executive Officer Greg Densen.
Block 162 includes 20 floors of office space on Levels 11–30. The façade comprises an all-glass curtainwall system, offering views of the Front Range from every office floor through 10-foot, clear windows. The average floor plate size is 29,800 rentable square feet, designed to feature zero interior columns within the office floorplates. The building includes more than 9,000 rentable square feet of ground-floor retail in three retail lease spaces. The project offers parking at a ratio of 1.7 cars per 1,000 rentable square feet, with parking spaces located within three underground parking levels and a 10-floor, above-grade podium garage.
Completion of Block 162 is slated for Q1 2021, and the building is available for tenants immediately.