Silverstein Properties has announced 55,349 square feet of office leases at one of the tallest buildings west of the Mississippi River, Commercial Observer can first report.

The latest deals at U.S. Bank Tower in Downtown Los Angeles include a 5,091-square-foot expansion by prominent injury law firm Morgan & Morgan, which grows its footprint to 13,517 square feet and extends the lease through at least 2037. Also, engineering and design firm Buro Happold signed a new 13,682-square-foot, full-floor lease.

And the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce signed a 10-year lease for 11,411 square feet for a new headquarters on the 32nd floor, while consultant firm ICF will relocate its office from 555 West Fifth Street into 3,131 square feet at U.S. Bank Tower.

The new activity brings Silverstein’s total leasing at the 1.4 million-square-foot tower to more than 145,000 square feet over the past year with KPMG, Wilson Elser, King & Spalding and Zurich North America signing deals as well.

The U.S. Bank Tower leases are part and parcel with a pickup in office activity in the L.A. area.

Countywide office leasing reached 4 million square feet in the third quarter, the strongest three months since 2019, while availability declined compared to last year, according to Savills. However, Downtown L.A. is still wrestling with elevated vacancy and financial distress.

Silverstein Properties CEO Lisa Silverstein recently acknowledged that the tower has outperformed her expectations following a $60 million upgrade.

Harlan Strader represented Silverstein in-house, along with a JLL team including Jaclyn Ward, James Malone, Josh Wrobel, Marin Turney and Sarah Hancock. CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, JLL and Newmark represented different tenants on the new deals.

Gregory Cornfield can be reached at gcornfield@commercialobserver.com.

Keywords: Harlan Strader, Jaclyn Ward, james malone, Josh Wrobel, Marin Turney, Sarah Hancock, U.S. Bank Tower, Buro Happold, CBRE, Cushman & Wakefield, JLL, Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, Morgan & Morgan, Newmark, Silverstein Properties