Upgrades continue, attract new tenants at Fort Worth's tallest tower
January 15,2026
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The owner of Fort Worth's tallest tower continues to spend millions on improvements and add new tenants.
Andy Hansen, president of Swiss Burnett LLC and a real estate developer from Stephenville, acquired the 40-floor Burnett Plaza in 2024 from Pinnacle Bank Texas, which had foreclosed on former owner Opal Holdings LLC of New York.
Since then, Hansen estimates he's invested $14 million in improvements for the building at 801 Cherry St. Those have ranged from maintenance such as replacing the building's chiller and domestic water pump to renovating 24,000 square feet of office spaces across eight suites. Renovations to the lobby including a new sound system and lighting were completed in mid-December. Conversations are ongoing for adding a high-end coffee lounge.
Hansen said improvements go a long way toward attracting new tenants and demonstrate long-term commitment.
The building's occupancy is now at about 86.5%. That's lower than Hansen's 2025 end-of-year goal of 90%, but he said he feels confident about more deals on the horizon. He said Burnett Plaza's occupancy was 78.6% when he took ownership. Of the eight speculative renovated office spaces, six have been leased and two potential leases are in the works. TXRE Properties handles leasing.
"We feel pretty optimistic about the downtown Fort Worth market," Hansen said. "The lead generation is strong. We've got good inquiries from local and new companies expanding, wanting to open up offices in that market. So it's been very encouraging."
GM Financial is the largest tenant in Burnett Plaza, taking up about 10 floors. A Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing shows the company is renovating the building's 30th floor. The estimated $1.6 million project will entail upgrading the floor's elevator lobby, office and bathrooms, according to the filing. The renovation is estimated to finish in March. The company declined to comment.
Downtown Fort Worth has 22.8 million square feet of office inventory, according to a recent report from real estate firm JLL. Class A office space vacancy in downtown is 13% and class B is 13.7%. Downtown class A space saw 20,547 square feet of absorption downtown last year, while class B space saw -96,147 square feet in 2025. Todd Burnette, executive managing director for JLL's Fort Worth office, said the office market in downtown is tight because there's limited office space. That's driven many tenants to renew.
"I think you got more on the horizon," Burnette said.
At the same time, Burnette said the delivery of nearly 1.2 million square feet of trophy office space by 2035 such as the second Crescent building and Goldenrod Cos. buildings outside downtown could add more options to the marketplace.
As for Hansen, he said he believes Burnett Plaza will continue to provide a quality option for future tenants who don't want to pay higher rents for the newest office space.
Location Mentioned: Burnett Plaza