« Back

Posted: 1/6/2006
Location: CHARLOTTE, NC

Lincoln Harris Corporate Services Group Sweeps HCA Awards

American Financial Realty Trust (NYSE: AFR), a real estate investment trust focused on acquiring and leasing properties occupied by financial institutions, today announced that it has won a local The Office Building of the Year (“TOBY”) award for its management of The 525 N. Tryon Building, located at 525 North Tryon Street in Charlotte, NC.

Sponsored annually by the Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA), the TOBY competition consists of three levels of judging: local, regional, and national, designed to recognize excellence in building management. 525 North Tryon, owned by American Financial Realty Trust and managed by Lincoln Harris, won the local phase of the competition for the Carolinas-West Virginia market in the 250,000 – 499,999 square foot category. It will move on to TOBY Regional Competition for the Southeast, to be held April 26-29, 2006 in Atlanta, GA.

“We are extremely honored that The 525 N. Tryon Building has been recognized with this prestigious award,” says Will Augenbraun, American Financial Realty Trust’s Managing Director for the Southeast. “The TOBY is the hallmark of distinguished property management in commercial real estate. This recognition symbolizes the success of our partnership with Lincoln Harris and their commitment to world-class property management.”

The 525 N. Tryon Building was recognized by the Carolinas-West Virginia chapter of BOMA for its superior tenant relations, active community involvement, advanced training in emergency communications plans, and ongoing continuing education programs for building personnel. It is American Financial Realty’s second building in as many months to be awarded a TOBY; the company’s Bank of America Plaza in St. Louis was similarly honored last month.

Since its opening in late 1998, The 525 N. Tryon Building has been the dominant structure in an overall master plan encompassing an entire urban city block in the Northern end of Charlotte’s Center City. The 19-story building offers 405,000 rentable sq. ft. with anchor tenant Bank of America occupying approximately 265,000 sq. ft. The 330-ft office tower is topped with an octagonal pyramid of metal ribs and panels which adds a distinctive touch to the city skyline by day and, with the use of accent lighting, by night. The building includes a 2,200 square-foot lobby finished with anigre wood wall panels and intricately patterned marble flooring. Amenities include concierge service, 24-hour security, a 608-car below-ground parking garage, and The Elevator Channel, a cutting edge network of LCD panels which display a variety of useful information, including weather forecasts, stock quotes, news headlines, and security tips.