Taylor & Mathis Takes Over Leasing Douglas Entrance

The 470,000-sf, class A office complex consists of five buildings in a campus-like setting on eight acres. The two largest buildings--the North and South Towers--each have 150,000 sf and 12 stories. The Executive Building, which goes around the parking garage, contains 64,713 sf and eight floors.

"It's a major assignment," Brian S. Gale, managing director of brokerage services for Taylor & Mathis in Miami, tells GlobeSt.com. "It's a huge project."

Taylor & Mathis is planning to do a major marketing blitz to get the occupancy level up, Gale says. This will include hosting events such as dinners for brokers, "just to make sure brokers all know what's available," Gale says. Gale, Ben Moss and Jeannette Pay of Taylor & Mathis will handle the leasing of Douglas Entrance, which has a rental range of $25 to $27 per sf. The complex was approximately 75% leased when Taylor & Mathis took over leasing.

Colonnade Properties is the owner as well as the manager of the property, located at 800 Douglas Rd., which is at the intersection of Douglas Road and Tamiami Trail.

"We're really excited because Colonnade Properties is a great owner," Gale adds. "They treat the brokers well. They spend money on their projects." Usually when owners manage their own projects, they pay close attention to detail, he adds.

Cushman & Wakefield formerly leased the office complex. Cushman & Wakefield brokers were unavailable for comment on the new assignment.

The project's Mediterranean office buildings combine with La Puerta del Sol, which has two wings with about 53,000 sf of office space and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It also includes a 90-foot bell tower and a 40-foot arch over the road. This original gateway was built in 1927.

The complex includes conference facilities and an historic ballroom for corporate and private events. Tenants include Spillis Candela & Partners, designers of the office tower; EMC Corp.; SmithKline Beecham; Dow Jones; Kodak Polychrome; and Hispanic Broadcasting Group.

Taylor & Mathis is a privately held, full-service real estate company based in Atlanta. The company leases and manages more than 6 million sf of third-party office and industrial space in South and Central Florida.