UPDATED, March 22, 12:08 p.m.: It’s not fake: The WWE is getting a Colosseum-sized office complex to serve as its new global headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut.
The company inked a lease for 415,000 square feet at 677 Washington Boulevard. With the deal, the three-building complex is 72 percent leased, said George Comfort & Sons in a statement. The complex previously served as the North American headquarters for UBS.
JLL’s Drew Saunders, Robert Ageloff, Allison Melichar and Joe Messina represented WWE. Cushman & Wakefield’s Jay Hruska and Richard Jantz also advised WWE in the negotiations. Building ownership was represented in-house by CEO Peter Duncan and Dana Pike.
WWE said it expects to move to the new location in early 2021. It will allow the company to bring together its operations, including its production studios and corporate offices. The lease has an initial term of approximately 16.5 years, with five five-year renewal options afterward.
The company plans to sell the property it owns at 1241 East Main Street and leave its leased spaces at 1266 East Main Street. It will “evaluate options” for the production studios at 88 and 120 Hamilton Avenue.
George Comfort & Sons took over ownership of 677 Washington Boulevard with AVG Partners in early 2018. The new owners sought to re-lease the buildings — and recent deals include financial firm KPMG and architecture firm Perkins Eastman. The Class A complex spans about 12 acres. It includes a 13-story office tower, seven-story pavilion and three-story retail building.
Over the last year or so, Stamford has seen a string of development news that officials have hoped will help its struggling central business district. In January, a group owned by Stamford-based New England Investment Partners acquired a seven-story building in Stamford from Darien-based Forstone Capital for around $18.2 million. The approximately 93,000-square-foot office property at 600 Summer Street has tenants that include H&R Block, Stamford Bank & Trust and several law firms.