"Brown & Crouppen has been considerably expanding over the last several years and wanted space that would accommodate this growth within new, upgraded offices. They also wanted to establish a presence within a high-profile, Class-A building such as Metropolitan Square," Henry Voges, SVP at JLL's St. Louis office, tells GlobeSt.com.

Voges could not disclose the leasing details. He did, however, say the leases were long-term and the average asking rate is $20 to $22 per square foot, full service. With these three leases, One Metropolitan Square is 85% occupied.

"Metropolitan Square has always been a premiere property within the St. Louis CBD and has historically attracted firms that look for exceptional visibility, strategic locations, and high-end amenities," says Carrie Herrmann, VP at JLL. "Even despite a downturn that has left the downtown market with an overall vacancy rate of 18.6 percent in the first quarter of 2010, well-managed and maintained properties continue to attract credit-worthy tenants."

The class A facility is the tallest building in St. Louis, totaling 1.04 million square feet of office and retail space. Other tenants include architecture firm Hellmuth, Obata and Kassabaum; the Bryan Cave law firm; the RCGA and the Sonnenschein law firm.

JLL sees the new leases as proof that companies are again beginning to consider the downtown area.

"We're starting to see a rebound in leasing activity, and many prominent downtown buildings, such as Metropolitan Square, will see a significant number of new leases before the end of the year," Voges says. "Many companies are actively exploring leasing options and taking advantage of the opportunities today's market is providing them."

Herrmann represented the building's owner, Gotham Realty. David Bialas of Grubb & Ellis | Gundaker Commercial represented Brown & Crouppen. Andrew Bagy of Grubb & Ellis | Gundaker Commercial represented Little Mendelson. Bialas and Bagy represented HNTB.