Hines Selects Buyers for 499 Park Avenue and 425 Lexington

NEW YORK, May 8, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- The New York office of Hines, the international real estate firm, announced today that a subsidiary of the Hines U.S. Core Office Fund LP (Core Fund) has selected an institutional fund managed by American Realty Advisors as the buyer of 499 Park Avenue, and institutional investors advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management as the buyers of 425 Lexington Avenue. Exact sale prices of each building were not disclosed; however, the combined sale price will total more than $1 billion, generating a sizeable return on investment for the Core Fund and its investors. 

The Core Fund has entered into purchase and sale agreements with each of the buyers, and it anticipates closing both transactions this summer. Both of the contemplated transactions are subject to customary closing conditions.

Eastdil Secured, L.L.C. and CBRE jointly represented the Core Fund in both transactions. 

Tommy Craig, senior managing director of Hines' New York Office, said, "We are excited to expand our relationship with American Realty Advisors through the sale of 499 Park Avenue, and to continue our long-standing global relationship with J.P. Morgan Asset Management through the sale of 425 Lexington. The success of these transactions only reinforces Hines' commitment to continue to build on our high level of activity in New York City, particularly with further investment and development opportunities."

Sherri Schugart, senior managing director and President and CEO of Hines' Core Fund, said, "We are very pleased with the outcome of this competitive sales process.  These trophy assets will deliver exceptionally strong returns to our investors."

499 Park, located on the southeast corner of 59^th Street and Park Avenue, is one of New York City's premier boutique office buildings. The 28-story, 300,000-square-foot tower was designed by I.M. Pei & Partners and was completed in 1980. The property enjoys a wide diversity of world-class tenants including M. Safra, Cantor Fitzgerald and Hines.

Darcy Stacom, vice chairman and head of the Investment Properties group for CBRE's New York office, said "499 Park is a one-of-a-kind asset, as is evidenced by the diversity and strength of bidders in this extremely active bidding process." 

425 Lexington is a 31-story, 750,000-square-foot office building designed by Helmut Jahn of internationally renowned architectural firm Murphy/Jahn. Located prominently on Lexington Avenue across the street from Grand Central Terminal, the Class A property has enjoyed 100 percent occupancy since its development in 1987, and the original anchor tenants, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP and CIBC, continue to occupy the building. Earlier this year, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP extended their 595,000-square-foot lease in the building for 15 years, which will reset the lease to expire in 2033. 

Douglas Harmon, Eastdil senior managing director, said, "425 Lexington is the latest, trophy sale to demonstrate the immense investor depth and strength for well located, core, Manhattan office buildings."

J.P. Morgan Asset Management – Global Real Assets has approximately $65.9 billion in assets under management and more than 400 professionals in the U.S., Europe and Asia, as of March 31, 2013. With a 40-plus-year history of successful investing, J.P. Morgan Asset Management – Global Real Assets' broad capabilities provide many of the world's most sophisticated investors with a global platform of real estate, infrastructure, maritime/transport and energy strategies driven by local investment talent with disciplined investment processes consistently implemented across asset types and regions.

American Realty Advisors is an investment advisor registered with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission under the Investment Advisers Act of 1940, as amended, and a leading provider of commercial real estate investment management services to institutional investors. With over $5.0 billion in assets under management, American has provided real estate investment management services to institutional investors for over 24 years utilizing core and value-added commingled funds and separate accounts. The firm's portfolios include office, industrial, multi-family, retail and other properties nationwide, all of which are managed on behalf of American's clients. Information regarding American can be found at www.americanreal.com.

Hines is a privately owned real estate firm involved in real estate investment, development and property management worldwide. The firm's historical and current portfolio of projects that are underway, completed, acquired and managed for third parties includes 1,273 properties representing more than 514 million square feet of office, residential, mixed-use, industrial, hotel, medical and sports facilities, as well as large, master-planned communities and land developments.  Currently, Hines manages 406 properties totaling 148.5 million square feet, which includes 78.3 million square feet for third parties.  With offices in 113 cities in 18 countries, and controlled assets valued at approximately $24.3 billion, Hines is one of the largest real estate organizations in the world. Hines is also a world leader in sustainable real estate strategies, with extensive experience in LEED^®, ENERGY STAR^®, BREEAM, Haute Qualite Environnementale and DGNB green building rating systems.  Visit www.hines.com for more information.

For Further Information, Contact:
George Lancaster, Hines
713/966-7676
Email

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SOURCE Hines