DocuSign is packing up much of its downtown Seattle office and heading a few blocks west, into the JPMorganChase Center at 1301 Second Ave. Employees are expected to start working there next summer, a shift that will carve a major tenant out of the company’s namesake 999 Third Avenue tower. The move could leave that landmark more than half empty and crank up the pressure on an already stressed downtown retail and services scene.
According to The Seattle Times, DocuSign has signed a roughly 115,000 square foot lease at 1301 Second Ave and says staff will begin working there next summer. In a company statement quoted by the paper, executives called back to the firm’s roots, saying, “Seattle is where DocuSign started, and it will be a key location for us as we write our next chapter.”
The 1301 Second Avenue skyscraper was recently rebranded as the JPMorganChase Center after the banking giant expanded its Seattle footprint. Brokers say the building’s high-end amenities and updated feel are exactly the kind of “trophy” space tenants are chasing right now, a trend GeekWire covered earlier this year.
Colliers marketing materials list 999 Third Ave at roughly 56 percent occupied and show DocuSign anchoring about 108,226 rentable square feet. If DocuSign ultimately gives up that space, the math puts the building at more than 50 percent vacant, a stark example of how one big tenant’s decision can flip a tower’s market status almost overnight.
All of this is playing out against a rough backdrop for downtown offices. Kidder Mathews reports that in the first quarter of 2026, Seattle’s central business district vacancy rate sat around 34.7 percent, with tenants consistently trading up to newer or better-located buildings. County assessment data cited in local coverage show steep valuation drops across the skyline, and KIRO 7 reported that the DocuSign Tower’s assessed value has fallen sharply since 2020.
What Landlords And Downtown Merchants Face
Owners of big office towers are increasingly pitching value add strategies, trimming rents or dangling generous concessions to fill space, according to Colliers’ marketing language and broker chatter. For the people at street level, the stakes are more immediate. Every major tenant that pulls out means fewer commuters grabbing coffee, fewer lunches for nearby cafes and fewer impulse stops at small shops, stretching out the already bumpy road to a full downtown recovery.
Next Steps For The Tower
DocuSign has not said whether it plans to give up naming rights at 999 Third Ave or how quickly it will move to market any emptied floors, according to The Seattle Times. Brokers, building owners and city officials are expected to watch leasing activity and any reuse or repositioning plans closely as DocuSign’s move into the JPMorganChase Center approaches next summer.
