Skanska’s Houston Tower Lands Law Firm Headquarters Lease

A headquarters tenant at downtown Houston’s newest office building is investing in its lease.

Law firm Hicks Johnson is spending $4.3 million to build out its 17,500-square-foot space at the Norton Rose Fulbright Tower, the Houston Business Journal reported.

Skanska delivered the building last year; it was previously known as 1550 on the Green. It is the first major office building to open downtown since Hines’ Texas Tower in 2021.

Hicks Johnson signed for a 13-year lease on the 19th floor of the tower in September. The buildout — including offices, meeting rooms and a mock courtroom — will begin this summer and wrap in the fall. Houston-based Kirksey Architecture is designing the space with O’Donnell/Snider Construction as general contractor.

The 28-story building is 50 percent leased between Hicks Johnson, Norton Rose Fulbright and Boston Consulting Group. The remaining space is being marketed to tenants looking for modern, amenity-rich office environments downtown.

The building has 375,000 square feet of office space and 7,000 square feet of ground-floor retail. It features three landscaped terraces and a 9,600-square-foot amenity center with lounge areas, a bar and conference space.

The move aligns with the firm’s plan to double its headcount from 20 to 40 lawyers over the next five years, Managing Partner Andrew Hicks said.

The firm is exiting TC Energy Center, at 700 Louisiana Street, whose ownership includesM-M Properties and an affiliate of the General Electric Pension Trust. It was built in 1983, and buildings of that era contribute the largest share of vacancy in Houston. Buildings constructed in the 1970s, ’80s and ’90s average about 30 percent vacant, while those built since 2010 have an average vacancy under 14 percent as tenants seek new buildings with amenities to attract workers.

— Judah Duke