Big 12 Conference seeks new headquarters in Williams Square Garden

BY COPELAND WELCH / Managing Editor

The Big 12 plans to relocate within the city to accommodate their growth. The 1.9-acre property, owned by the Big 12 Conference, went on the market March 5.

Dallas County Deed Records show that the 18,000-square-foot building, located at East John West Carpenter Freeway, Las Colinas, Texas, was built in 1996 and has been occupied by the Big 12 Conference for the past 18 years.

The Big 12 has hired Cushman and Wakefield brokers, Beth Lambert and Andrew White to help sell this two-story office building.

According to The Dallas Business Journal, The Big 12 has decided to leave behind its furniture, as well as audio and technology equipment at its Las Colinas office.

The Big 12’s motivation for moving was essentially to accommodate for the growth they have experienced.

According to The Dallas Express, the Big 12 took renovating their existing space into consideration, but the project would have been too extensive so they ultimately decided to sell the space and move on.

“It creates more efficiency, it creates a more open, collaborative work environment,” Lambert said. “But the primary thing is just that they’re growing the conference, and so needed to bring more people in.”

The Big 12 has been growing and evolving significantly over the past three years. The Big 12 will now compete as a 16-team conference for the first time ever this year.

According to Big 12 Sports, in the summer of this year Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah will be joining Baylor, Brigham Young University, University of Central Florida, Cincinnati, Houston, Iowa State, Kansas, Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Texan Christian University, Texas Tech and West Virginia.

Lambert views the building as a prime opportunity for smaller tenants who may be fortunate enough to own their own building. She claims the architecture and ties to the Big 12 have built a reputation for the property.

"As rents escalate, ownership becomes more achievable and attractive," Lambert said. "It's not going to be an investor that buys this property, likely. It's going to be an end user, someone who's going to make this their home, and we already have offers on the building that came very quickly."

The Big 12 will relocate to Williams Square Garden by the fall of 2024. Williams Square Garden is conveniently positioned between the Toyota Music Factory and Water Street and easily accessible via the DART.

According to Hillwood Urban, Williams Square Garden boasts 1.4 million square feet of office space that will be utilized to better accommodate employees and visitors.

“The move to William Square was warranted given the growth of our Conference and its staff,” said Brett Yormark, Big 12 commissioner. “We appreciate the entire team at Cushman and Wakefield and their partnership.”

As the Big 12 evolved, they began outlining what they would look for in their new commercial space. Williams Square Garden happened to check all of the boxes for the Big 12.

Although the move to Williams Square Garden means downsizing by about 4,000 square feet for the Big 12, the new location provides the contemporary design they are seeking.

“From the beginning, the Big 12 Conference envisioned a specific set of requirements for its new headquarters,” said Travis Boothe, executive director for Cushman and Wakefield. “They sought a contemporary space designed for teamwork, a prime location that would be convenient for both local staff and visitors from conference schools, and a facility that embodies the Big 12 brand. Following an extensive search across the region, Williams Square emerged as the perfect choice, meeting all these criteria.”

Hillwood Urban, a real estate developer based in Dallas, is excited to welcome the Big 12 to their new home at Williams Square Garden.

“We are thrilled that the Big 12 Conference, an NCAA Power Five Conference, has selected Williams Square to serve as its headquarters,” said Bill Brokbaw, senior vice president at Hillwood Urban. “As we learned more about the Big 12's specific office requirements and focus on a quality asset we were encouraged they would join the ranks of top-quality firms such as Caterpillar, Accenture and Flowserve, making Williams Square their new home. We are excited to welcome the Big 12 Conference to Williams Square.”

According to WFAA, Cushman and Wakefield’s Cynthia Cowen and Travis Boothe represented the Big 12 in lease negotiations for Williams Square Garden, and Karch Schnieder and Bill Brokaw of Hillwood Urban represented the landlord, a partnership between Apollo Global, Vanderbilt Properties and Hillwood Urban.

The Big 12’s new location will be in the Class A office tower at 5215 N O. Connor Blvd. in Irving.