Downtown: Energy Firm Leases Major Space

In Houston, Chord Energy has leased 157,390 SF of office space in the 1001 Fannin building in downtown Houston.

In Formerly known as First City Tower, the 49, story building opened in 1981 on a block bounded by San Jacinto, McKinney, Lamar and Fannin streets.

Chord Energy, which has been in the building for years, renewed its lease of 130,300 SF and leased an additional full floor of 27,090 SF, as stated by Partners Real Estate.

Chip Colvill and Brad Beasley of Partners represented the landlord in the lease negotiations. Chad Beck of Cushman & Wakefield represented Chord Energy.

“Chord Energy has been a tenant at 1001 Fannin for nearly 20 years, so they are an extremely valued tenant at the property,” Colvill said.

Chord Energy, formerly known as Oasis Petroleum, has been active in exploration and hydraulic fracturing in the Williston Basin in North Dakota. The company’s shares are traded on the NASDAQ exchange.

Renovations to the 1001 Fannin building, including a new conference center, have generated strong leasing momentum, Partners reported. Along with renewals from existing tenants such as Chord Energy, the building is attracting significant interest from new prospects.

“In addition to the Chord Energy renewal and expansion, we have completed over 140,000 SF of additional leases in the building in the past 18 months,” Beasley said.

In The Leed Gold, certified tower includes 1,333,312 SF of office space with eight corner offices per floor, 25,000 SF of retail and amenity space, and a tunnel-connected parking garage that encompasses a full city block. The Vinson & Elkins law firm had its offices in 1001 Fannin for many years before relocating to Hines’ new Texas Tower about four or five years ago.

On a block near 1001 Fannin, a new 12-story parking garage has been proposed. The owners of the Houston Center complex have purchased a full city block for the new garage, a block known Block 95, bounded by Walker, Rusk, Caroline, and San Jacinto streets.

The 4.6-million-SF Houston Center campus was purchased in May 2025 by lender AustralianSuper, a pension fund working in conjunction with Texas-based Stream Realty Partners. The skyscrapers in Houston Center are located at 1221 McKinney, 909 Fannin, 1301 McKinney, and 1331 Lamar.