Mid-Wilshire Space Leased for New Civil Courtrooms

The Los Angeles County Superior Court has leased 125,000 square feet in the 600 South Commonwealth Building, opposite the landmark First Congregational Church of Los Angeles at 540 S. Commonwealth Ave.

The $90-million, 25-year lease is the largest transaction in five years in the mid-Wilshire area, according to Todd P.Anderson and Donna I. Smith, Faulkner Co. brokers who represented Commonwealth Enterprises, the building owner.

The 19-story building, known as the CNA Building, was constructed in 1972 and has 350,000 square feet of space.

It is the first privately owned office building to lease space to the county for civil law courtrooms. The building also houses the governor’s Los Angeles office and the Southern California Assn. of Governments (SCAG).

Twenty-three new courtrooms will be located in the building, according to Carlos Brea, senior real property agent for Los Angeles County. He said the county will also locate judges chambers, a jury assembly room and deposition rooms in the building.

A two-phase construction program calls for the first phase of 13 courtrooms to be completed by July 31, with the remaining 10 to be built by the end of the year, Brea added.