Downtown Cincinnati’s Sawyer Point Building is finally showing some signs of life. The four-story riverfront office property has landed six new leases since the third quarter of 2025, with owners saying the deals add up to more than 20,000 square feet. The bump in activity follows a change in ownership late last year, after a rough stretch when occupancy slipped below 60 percent and a major tenant exit blew a hole in the first floor.
Six New Leases Since Q3 2025
Local reports show the leases arriving in a steady drip starting in the fall. Patrick Gates, principal at Mariemont-based Matrix Holdings, told local business media that the new agreements total more than 20,000 square feet. As reported by Local 12, the new deals have helped lift occupancy following the building’s sale last year.
New Ownership And Building Features
Matrix Holdings picked up the downtown property late in 2025 after commercial real estate giant CBRE brought it to market. The firm describes the Sawyer Point Building as roughly 182,700 square feet, with a rooftop deck, sky-lit atrium, fitness center and a 100-stall underground garage. CBRE said the property drew attention from both regional and national investors and pitched the sale as a light-lift, value-add play.
Vacancy Left By Champlin
According to Local 12, occupancy fell below 60 percent after Champlin | EOP decamped for Atrium One, leaving an estimated 13,000-square-foot vacancy on the first floor. Filling that anchor-sized gap quickly was a core goal for the new owner once the deal closed.
Who’s Already In The Building
Broker listings show a tenant mix heavy on professional services and nonprofits, including Blue & Co., the Alzheimer’s Association, CVG Home Buyers and US Digital Partners. Public property platforms still showed roughly 78,000 square feet available in late 2025, a reminder that this leasing run is just the opening act in a longer stabilization effort. For more details, see the broker listing on LoopNet and the building profile on PropertyShark.
What This Means For Downtown Cincinnati
Smaller, hands-on owners like Matrix are increasingly betting that active leasing efforts and modest capital upgrades can coax tenants back into older class A buildings, a pattern showing up in several Midwestern downtowns after ownership changes. Local brokers say even modest wins like these six leases can help foot traffic and confidence along the riverfront, while trade coverage of the sale highlighted the property as a value-add opportunity for investors, according to REBusinessOnline.
There is still plenty of space to fill, and listings suggest sizable blocks remain on the market. But the recent signings indicate Matrix is leaning into a leasing-first strategy to stabilize the asset. For downtown stakeholders watching a cautious office market, the Sawyer Point story is a reminder that focused ownership and targeted outreach can still move the needle, one lease at a time.
