Paul Fagan, partner in Cross & Co. of San Antonio, says theproperty will be an adjunct to SBC's Downtown headquarters. A$9-million to $11-million retrofitting is being carried out inpreparation for the January move-in.

The 12.6-acre site is owned by Lazarus Property Co. of Dallas,which bought the former Datapoint Corp. headquarters in January1999. Fagan says several prospective lessees had been looking atthe site, some close to inking a deal, when SBC "got serious" abouttaking the entire building. "We were at the altar three or fourtimes," he tells GlobeSt.com. SBC had closed the lease in 90 days,says Fagan who is continuing to search for a buyer for theproperty.

Lazarus had bought the site from Builders Square, which had usedit for a corporate headquarters from 1991 until 1997 when it mergedwith Hechinger's, a northeastern-based home improvementretailer.