From Bill Gates to Third Space: The Story of a Queen’s Park Landmark

From William H Gates III to Third Space

Back in 2000, I took a 32,000 sq. ft office headquarters to market armed only with three CGIs and some basic floorplans.

The dot-com boom was in full swing. Our client had appointed the fantastic local architect Robert O’Hara to design a cutting-edge headquarters in Queen’s Park. It was the largest office pre-let opportunity in the area, and whilst Queen’s Park was already popular, it was untested for a major office headquarters.

Under pressure to deliver a good tenant we found Corbis Images, owned at the time by William H Gates III and pulled the proverbial rabbit from the hat. Bill signed the lease in December 2000.

Corbis eventually moved on, and Chellomedia and AMC grew into the space during the 2010s. A headquarters designed in the dot-com boom had become home to another generation of media businesses. Then they left just as Covid hit and for anyone involved in offices at the time, the uncertainty needs little explanation.

In 2020, acting for the building’s new owners, Feldberg Capital, I negotiated a three-year letting to the Department for Work and Pensions. DWP were opening emergency Jobcentres around the country in anticipation of the pandemic’s impact on employment. By 2023, we were back in the market looking for its next occupier.

Chatting over drinks at a property reception with Jess Kaye and Josh Rose we mooted the potential for a Third Space gym in Queens Park.

The rest as they say is history and it is so exciting to see Third Space opening their Queen’s Park club this month.

When you work with a building over that length of time, you develop a certain affection for it. You also see how a well-designed building can keep finding a useful place in a changing world.

Congratulations to Feldberg Capital, the Third Space team and everyone involved in bringing this latest chapter to life. And a particular thank you to Jess and Josh for seeing the opportunity.

David Matthews | Managing Director, Dutch & Dutch

PHOTO CREDIT: DOE PHOTOGRAPHER, KEN SHIPP