The agreement concludes the lease-up of the approximately235,000 sf vacated by the locally based Dechert law firm, whichrelocated to Cira Centre, the newly completed office tower next to30th Street Station. Roger McManimon, senior director of the localoffice of Cushman & Wakefield, tells GlobeSt.com the Aramarklease takes occupancy in the 1.5-million-sf Bell Atlantic buildingto 93%. "It's a fluid number, however, because Verizon has theability to re-stack some of its existing space to open up about100,000 sf for the right tenant."

McManimon, along with Paul Garvey of C&W representedVerizon, while Gil Pierce and Patrick Wolfington, also of C&W,represented Aramark. Via a subsidiary, Bell Atlantic, now Verizon,constructed the building in 1991. It later sold the asset to apartnership that includes the New York City-based Blackstone Groupand inked a master lease for the full building. The Verizon masterlease expires in August 2012.

The Dechert relocation at the end of 2005 compounded a vacancycreated by Verizon's downsizing in the building. It relocated stafffrom about 25 stories to a property it acquired in Northern NewJersey. In summer 2004, it assigned subleasing of the vacantportions to the team led by McManimon and Garvey.