Simmons Signs Lease for Office Space in New Hines Tower, Downtown Houston
Hines’ 609 Main at Texas tower.
HOUSTON – Simmons & Company International | Energy Specialists of Piper Jaffray has leased 31,000 square feet at 609 Main at Texas, the new 48-story office tower developed by Hines in downtown Houston.
Simmons, an investment banking and financial advisory firm, will relocate to the 1,073,075-square-foot building this fall.
Michael Anderson and Damon Thames of Colvill Office Properties represented Hines in the lease negotiations. Lou Cushman and Tim Relyea of Cushman & Wakefield represented Simmons.
With this agreement, 609 Main at Texas is more than 64 percent leased. Other prominent tenants include Kirkland & Ellis LLP, Orrick, Hogan Lovells, McKinsey & Company, Russell Reynolds Associates and United Airlines.
Designed by the architectural firm Pickard Chilton, 609 Main at Texas is capped by a distinctive diagonal crown that has quickly become a downtown landmark. The property is pre-registered for LEED certification and is expected to achieve LEED Platinum in the coming weeks.
The building’s vertically integrated campus offers a range of amenities: a hotel-style lobby with a café and networking areas; a 7,000-square-foot fitness center and an 8,000-square-foot conference center; full-height windows that provide abundant natural light; an underfloor HVAC system; and private roof gardens.
“It was important to us that we selected a flagship building offering the top amenities for not only our clients but also our employees,” said Simmons Managing Director and Co-head of Energy Investment Banking Fred Charlton.
Hines Senior Managing Director John Mooz added, “Adding one of the largest and most experienced energy investment banking teams in the industry to the tenant roster is truly an honor for the firm.”
Construction on the tower began in the summer of 2014, when West Texas Intermediate crude was trading near $100 per barrel. Later that year, a drop in oil prices contributed to softness in the Houston office market. Local brokers note that many companies have since used the softer market to upgrade into higher-quality buildings, a trend often described as a “flight to quality.”
