Architecture firm Gensler leaving Tampa's central business district for Water Street
By Ashley Gurbal Kritzer
Tampa Bay Business Journal
Published: Jul 26, 2023

Architecture firm Gensler is moving to Water Street Tampa.

Gensler has signed a lease for 10,803 square feet in office tower Thousand and One, where the anchor tenant is Tampa-based cybersecurity firm ReliaQuest.

The architecture firm's offices are in the cube-shaped annex to Rivergate Tower in downtown Tampa, where it occupies 8,500 square feet. It said in a statement that it will move to Water Street by year's end.

The move comes as national law firm Bradley plans to leave an office tower in the central business district for Water Street, a $3 billion-plus mixed-use district on the southern edge of downtown Tampa. Weatherford Capital also recently moved from 100 N Tampa St. to Water Street.

“Moving our office to Thousand and One offered the unbeatable opportunity to walk the talk – the district embraces the sustainability, urban design and workplace trends that our firm has seen in recent years, and embodies the kind of environment we advise our clients to be in," Bert Oliva, co-managing director of Gensler's Tampa office, said in a statement.

Cascade Investment Fund LLC, the investment fund of Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, owns Water Street developer Strategic Property Partners. Cascade developed Water Street in partnership with Tampa Bay Lightning owner Jeff Vinik, who sold his share of the project to Cascade in June.

Gensler is the master plan architect for the redevelopment of Tropicana Field. Global real estate developer Hines and the Tampa Bay Rays, which engaged Gensler as their architect, are negotiating with St. Petersburg for the terms of the stadium redevelopment project.

Gensler is also the architect of 400 Channelside Drive, a 500,000-square-foot, 19-story office tower that SPP unveiled in 2018. It's not known when or if that tower will move forward.

Dave Bevirt, who oversees office leasing for SPP, said that with the Gensler deal, Thousand and One is nearly 90% leased.

“Thousand & One's selection as the new office space by a world-renowned architecture firm not only affirms our vision of fostering a vibrant work environment, but also underscores the profound impact of design,” Bevirt said in a statement.