Watson Land Has Active Year in Leasing, Building

This year is proving to be the most active in productivity in the 21-year history of the Long Beach-based Watson Land Co.

More than 270,000 square feet of office space has been leased during the first seven months, according to William T. Huston, president, as well as construction of 663,000 square feet of new office, commercial and industrial space.

A major lease--valued at $5.79 million--for 132,000 square feet, was finalized Oct. 1 for Douglas Aircraft Co. of Long Beach, in the Watson Lakewood Corporate Plaza. Last April, the American Assn. of Retired Persons leased 142,000 square feet of space in the Lakewood park.

The firm, claimant to the title of largest developer of industrial centers in Los Angeles County, is also developing two other properties, the Watson Industrial Center South in Carson and the Watson Alameda Industrial Center in the unincorporated Rancho Dominguez area. It has developed more than 1,000 acres and owns and manages more than 7.5 million square feet of building space.