Schnitzer West to Buy The Bravern Office Commons in a Return to the Towers It Developed

Schnitzer West LLC is under exclusive agreement to purchase The Bravern Office Commons and Garage, a two-tower, 749,694-square-foot office property that the company originally developed in downtown Bellevue, according to a news release Monday from the real-estate-investment, -development, and -management company.

Terms were not disclosed for the deal, which is expected to close in the fall.

The Shops at The Bravern and The Bravern Signature Residences are not part of the transaction and each is under separate, independent ownership, Schnitzer West noted.

The two office towers, located at 11111 and 11025 NE 8th St., were leased by Microsoft from 2009 through last year and have not undergone significant renovation since their original build-out, the release said.

Schnitzer West will update the common areas, while the individual office floors will be upgraded through tenant-specific improvements as the building is leased up, the company said in an email. Schnitzer West has begun the planning and design process for the improvements and will have more detailed timelines as it progresses, its email added.

Schnitzer West developed and delivered The Bravern Office Commons and Garage in 2009. The underground garage includes 3,134 stalls and serves the entire Bravern complex.

“The Bravern is a marquee asset, and we are thrilled for the opportunity to bring it back into our portfolio and reposition it as a premier address for tenants in Bellevue,” Pam Hirsch, president, chief investment officer, and chief operating officer of Schnitzer West, said in Monday’s release. “For nearly 30 years, we’ve bet on Bellevue. We have developed more than three and a half million square feet and counting. We know this city, we know this property, and we know how to deliver the Class A workplace experience that today’s tenants demand.”

Schnitzer West will reposition the Office Commons to instill hospitality-inspired elements, including a signature Great Room and elevated amenities built for how companies and their employees work, collaborate, and innovate today, the release said. The towers will receive modern finishes, refreshed common areas, and full-service amenities.

Schnitzer West’s current Bellevue portfolio also includes The Artise, a 611,865-square-foot Class A-plus office tower delivered in 2024 and 99% leased at the corner of Northeast 8th Street and 106th Avenue Northeast; and The Arcadian, a 462,371-square-foot office development in predevelopment at 120 106th Ave. SE, two blocks from Main Street’s restaurant, retail, and residential core.

Broderick Group is managing leasing inquiries for the Office Commons.

The two towers and garage sold for $585 million in 2019, according to King County property records.

After Microsoft ended its Bravern lease to consolidate operations at its remodeled and expanded Redmond campus, the towers’ owner defaulted on its mortgage loan and a King County court last September approved a distress sale managed by a special servicer, eventually leading to the sale agreement with Schnitzer West, according to published reports.

The towers’ appraised total value this tax year is about $255 million, according to county records.

Schnitzer West, with headquarters in Seattle and Denver, has developed or acquired and repositioned more than 12.5 million square feet of Class-A office and suburban office, flex, industrial and bio-tech space, mixed-use, and 1,590 units of luxury multifamily residential in Seattle, Portland, and Denver since 1997, it said. It has 2 million square feet of office and multifamily residential in predevelopment and actively manages 4 million square feet of office and industrial property for various clients.