Piedmont Office Realty Trust Signs Global Accounting Firm for Another Five Years

ATLANTA – October 20, 2008—Global accounting firm Grant Thornton signed a 36,169 square-foot renewal with Piedmont Office Realty Trust at 60 Broad Street in the Financial District of Manhattan, New York. The international firm will continue to occupy the entire 24th and 25th floors for another five years.

The 39-story, 1 million square-foot office tower, renovated in 2003, is located in the heart of the Financial District submarket. The property features a superior communications infrastructure, Statue of Liberty and Harbor views, strong institutional ownership, and enjoys a 100% occupancy rate. Mitchell Barnett, David Malawer, and Andrew Peretz of Cushman & Wakefield represented Grant Thornton. Piedmont Office Realty Trust was represented by Anthony Stapleton, Eric Sarner and Sheila Nayson of Cogswell Realty Group, LLC and George Wells of Piedmont.

Piedmont Office Realty Trust is a public, non-traded REIT specializing in Class-A office properties. As of June 30, Piedmont owned 84 buildings, totaling more than 21 million square feet, in 23 states and Washington, D.C. Properties include the corporate headquarters of such organizations as U.S. Bancorp, NASA and Nestlé USA. Across the portfolio, Piedmont properties are approximately 93 percent leased. For more information, see www.piedmontreit.com.