601W Companies scores $678M refinancing for Aon Center

The 601W Companies secured a $677.5 million loan for the 83-story Aon Center, Chicago’s third-tallest building.

The deal was financed by JPMorgan and Brookfield Asset Management, and it was brokered by Meridian Capital Group, according to Commercial Observer.

601W, led by principals Mark Karasick and Victor Gerstein, bought the 1.75 million-square-foot tower in 2015 from Piedmont Office Realty Trust for $713 million.

601W lists 14 American properties in its portfolio. Four are in Chicago, including the 2.8 million-square-foot Old Main Post Office, which is undergoing a major renovation and is billed as a possible site for Amazon’s second headquarters. 601W recently took out a $355 million loan on that property, one of the biggest loans of the previous year.

It also took out an $88 million loan to finance its $175 million purchase of the Sullivan Center on State Street.

The property owner announced plans last month to add a rooftop observation observation deck that would swing spectators over the edge of the skyscraper in glass cabs.

The tower is home to its namesake tenant, global insurance firm Aon, along with JLL, the communications firm Edelman and insurance holding company Kemper. [CO] — Alex Nitkin