National government defense contractor leases over 36,000 square feet of space across two floors at 1400 Morris Drive; Reimagined corporate office park enjoying robust recent leasing activity overall
Rubenstein Partners, L.P. (including its affiliates, “Rubenstein”), a vertically integrated real estate investment adviser focused on value-added office property equity and debt opportunities, is announcing a new long-term lease for Arcfield, a leading government technology and mission support provider at 1400 Morris Drive within Chesterbrook, the 1.1 million-square-foot, 14-building portfolio of Class-A office properties located in in the King of Prussia/Wayne PA submarket, part of the greater Philadelphia region.
Arcfield is securing over 36,000 square feet of space at 1400 Morris Drive, consisting of the entire third floor and a portion of the first floor on a long-term lease. Arcfield is the first tenant at the newly upgraded 1400 Morris Drive and this transaction represents the organization’s first office move in the region in decades.
Rubenstein recently completed a full renovation of the 1400 Morris Drive building, which included adding new front and rear curtain wall glass entrances, expanding the first floor lobby, and upgrading the restrooms, elevator cabs and corridors. 1400 Morris Drive is also one of only two buildings throughout the office park that has covered parking. A JLL team comprised of Doug Newbert, Mike MacCrory, and Whitney Hunter represented Rubenstein in the transaction. A Cushman & Wakefield team including John Shelly and Gina Brennan represented the tenant.
This latest transaction with Arcfield continues the robust tenant activity at Chesterbook over the last several months, comprised of nearly 100,000 square feet of new leases and renewals, including a full-building lease with a large financial services company.
“Chesterbrook stands out as the most amenity-rich Class-A office park in the Philadelphia market, and we’re delighted to welcome Arcfield to our exceptional roster of leading tenants,” said Brian Simel with Rubenstein. “Rubenstein has put significant care and effort towards creating a unique office environment unlike any other through our extensive capital improvement program, and we believe we have created a modern, world-class campus for tenants and their employees that is unmatched in the region.”
“When we were looking for a new office for our King of Prussia employees, we sought out an upgraded space, in close proximity to employee homes, with on-site amenities, that was close to restaurants and things to do,” said Chris McCall, chief administrative officer, Arcfield. “Chesterbrook checked all the boxes and is not only a place our employees will be proud to report to each day but will scale nicely to support our company’s future growth.”
Rubenstein has also completed a comprehensive capital improvement plan for the entire Chesterbrook property, including a brand new amenity center called The Circuit which has become a highly popular component of the campus. Chesterbrook recently received three coveted TOBY (“The Office Building of the Year”) recognitions from BOMA Philadelphia for the following categories:
- Best Tenant Amenity – Suburban
- Best Lobby – Suburban for 1400 Morris Drive
- Holiday Décor – Suburban
About Chesterbrook:
The Chesterbrook campus remains one of the largest office parks in the region and a premier destination for office tenants in Philadelphia. The centerpiece of the highly amenitized campus is The Circuit, a two-story, 41,331-square-foot amenity center that provides tenants with a place to work, collaborate or socialize with colleagues. The Circuit also includes Flex at Chesterbrook, a 20,000-square-foot co-working space located on the second floor of the facility.
Rubenstein acquired the Chesterbrook property in 2019 and embarked on a full reimagining of the complex through a multimillion dollar capital improvement plan that improved the campus and upgraded the interior and exterior of the buildings. Campus connectivity at Chesterbrook was also improved by adding new pathways linking to the nearby network of trails at Wilson Farm Park. Physical upgrades such as touchless technology and HVAC improvements to enhance safety have been added as well to the buildings.
The bucolic campus is nestled into the hills around Valley Forge and sits on the edge of Chester County in Treddyfrin-Easttown Township, a region with superior tax benefits when compared to office buildings in other nearby submarkets.
Local SEPTA and Amtrak rail lines are nearby, and Amtrak provides direct train access from New York City and Washington, D.C. Additionally, tenants have easy access to I-76, Route 202, Route 422 and Route 30. Gateway Mall is two miles from the property and Philadelphia International Airport is 25 miles from the property.
The Chesterbrook properties include 1300 Morris Dr., 1325 Morris Dr., 1400 Morris Dr., 851 Duportail Rd., 955 Chesterbrook Blvd., 965 Chesterbrook Blvd., 725 Chesterbrook Blvd., 735 Chesterbrook Blvd., 600 Lee Rd., 601 Lee Rd., 620 Lee Rd., 640 Lee Rd., 690 Lee Rd., and 701 Lee Rd. The buildings at the Chesterbrook campus received the WELL Health-Safety Rating certification through the International WELL Building Institute (IWBI). The WELL Health-Safety Rating is an evidence-based, third-party verified rating focused on operational policies, maintenance protocols, stakeholder engagement and emergency plans to address the health and safety of building staff, visitors, and stakeholders in a post-COVID-19 environment.
About Rubenstein Partners
Rubenstein Partners is a Registered Investment Advisor and Fund Manager for a series of private equity funds focused on equity and debt office investments throughout the United States. The firm is vertically integrated and provides first-class investment services on behalf of its investor base, which consists of some of the nation’s preeminent public and private pension funds, university endowments and family offices. For more information, visit www.rubensteinpartners.com.
About Arcfield
Arcfield was purpose-built to protect the nation and its allies through innovations in systems engineering and integration, space and mission launch assurance, cybersecurity, and conventional and hypersonic missile support. Headquartered in Chantilly, VA with 16 global offices, Arcfield employs more than 1,500 engineers, analysts, IT specialists, and other professionals. The company has more than 65 years of collective proven experience supporting missions in cyber and space defense, hypersonic and nuclear deterrence, and warfighter readiness. Visit arcfield.com for more details.