SAN DIEGO—BBL Commercial Real Estate andWestbrook Partners have acquired FifthAvenue Financial Center, commonly known as “TheMister A's Building,” located at 2550 Fifth Avenue in SanDiego for an undisclosed amount. The iconic tower, which has beenowned and operated by the Alessio family since itsconstruction in 1965, is perhaps best knownlocally as home to the spectacular rooftop view restaurantBertrand at Mister A's.

“As a native San Diegan, this is an incredibly excitingacquisition since the tower is one of the most recognizablebuildings in the city and nearly every long-time resident has afond memory or story related to it,” said CaseyBrown, president of BBL Commercial Real Estate (BBL). “Welook forward to positioning the building to once again be a vibrantand exciting destination while embracing and respecting itspast.”
The 13-story, approximately 150,000-square-foottower was built by prominent San Diego businessman, banker,restaurateur and race-track operator John Alessioin 1965. It was the first tower to be constructed in theBankers Hill (Park West) neighborhood adjacent toBalboa Park and was among just a handful throughout the city at thetime. The building has been attentively managed by BudAlessio since his father's death in 1998 and is 74% leasedto a variety of tenants, many of whom have officed there fordecades.

“This is a bittersweet moment for me,” said Alessio. “Thebuilding is not just a part of our family history, it is asignificant part of the city's history. It's time for us to passthe baton, and knowing that Casey and the BBL team have such strongties to San Diego and truly understand what the building means isvery reassuring. We've had many offers from investors over theyears, but it was important to us that the building retain itslocal roots.”