Swire Properties sold two office buildings at Brickell City Centre for $163 million, marking the largest sale to close in South Florida during the pandemic.
Two Brickell City Centre and Three Brickell City Centre LLC, led by Swire Properties President Kieran Bowers sold the office portion of 78 Southwest Seventh Street and 98 Southeast Seventh Street in Miami to US VI 2 Brickell LLC and US VI 3 Brickell LLC, affiliates of Northwood Investors. Tenants include Akerman LLP and WeWork.
The combined $163 million purchase breaks down to $80.3 million for Two Brickell City Centre and $82.7 million for Three Brickell City Centre. Each building has about 130,000 square feet, which means they sold for roughly $630 per square foot.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Brickell City Centre said the buildings are nearly 100 percent occupied and that Swire plans to use the cash for future developments.
Few office buildings have traded during the coronavirus pandemic, in part due to the uncertainty surrounding the asset class.
Northwood, a Denver, Colorado-based investment adviser, had about $8 billion of assets under management as of December. That includes Cheeca Lodge & Spa in the Florida Keys and the mixed-use project under construction at 1177 Kane Concourse in Bay Harbor Islands.
Swire’s more than $1 billion Brickell City Centre development also includes the East Miami hotel, condo towers Reach and Rise, and the open-air shopping center anchored by Saks Fifth Avenue and the luxury movie theater CMX. Two and Three Brickell City Centre were completed in 2016. Arquitectonica was the lead architect.
Swire Properties is headquartered at Brickell City Centre, but the company is a subsidiary of Hong Kong-based Swire Properties Limited.
The developer has plans for a second phase of Brickell City Centre. In early 2019, Swire and businessman Carlos Mattos scored final approval for a 100,000-square-foot-plus expansion that would have a 54-story, 588-unit residential tower, another 62-story, 384-unit residential tower, commercial space and parking.