Владелица «Сантс» Гейл Бенсон приобрела небоскреб BankPlus Tower в центре Нового Орлеана

Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson has acquired the 36-story high rise at 909 Poydras Street, currently branded as BankPlus Tower, the latest addition to her growing portfolio of downtown New Orleans properties. In a deal that closed Friday, Benson purchased the building, which is nearly 80% occupied, from Los Angeles-based Hertz Investment Group, which had owned it since 2005. A sale price was not disclosed, but the building  had nearly $40 million worth of outstanding debt  that was due this month and had quietly been marketed for sale all year. A source familiar with the deal said the sale price was roughly equal to the outstanding loan balance.    The building is the third Poydras Street high rise that Benson now owns and brings to nearly 10 the number of properties she owns in the downtown area. She also owns one of the largest commercial real estate firms in the area, Corporate Realty, which manages several other skyscrapers in the Central Business District. Benson said in a statement that her real estate purchases, most of which have taken place in the last five years, underscore her commitment to the city. "My commitment to New Orleans has never been about one building or one project," Benson said in a statement. "It is about our city and continuing to invest in its future." She plans to move her main office and those of her top executive and administrative staff to the building, including Saints President Dennis Lauscha and Greg Bensel, the senior vice president for communications and government relations. Bensel said that departments like corporate partnerships, ticket sales, charitable giving and Benson Capital also will relocate downtown. Saints General Manager Mickey Loomis and all departments directly related to team operations will remain at the team's Airline Drive headquarters, where Benson will retain an office. In her statement, Benson said continued private investment is essential to building momentum in downtown New Orleans and positioning the city for future growth. “We have to continue to press forward,” Benson said. “There is tremendous opportunity in New Orleans, and investment creates confidence, confidence creates opportunity, and opportunity creates jobs and economic growth. We want to be part of that process and continue doing our part.” Luxury high rise The building at 909 Poydras was built in 1987 by the late Joseph Canizaro for the Louisiana Land and Exploration Co. as a decade-long construction boom on a milelong stretch of Poydras was coming to an end. The LL&E Tower, as it was known for years, is more than 500,000 square feet and has a 520-car garage on its lower floors. It cuts a distinctive profile on the skyline, with vertical bands of mahogany-colored granite alternating with bronze-tinted glass and a truncated pyramid rooftop. After Hertz bought the property in the early 2000s, it was rebranded as First Bank and Trust Tower for its anchor tenant. When the bank was purchased by BankPlus in 2023, it was rebranded again. Benson described the building as a "top-of-market Class A office building that has consistently demonstrated its quality and value." Benson's team plans to take some or all of up to four floors in the building, Bensel said. The building is one of five downtown office towers that was owned by Hertz, which ran into financial trouble several years ago and has been trying to sell off its properties in New Orleans and elsewhere  to satisfy lenders.   All of the firm's buildings carried a type of bond financing that can leave them particularly vulnerable to foreclosure. With the sale of 909 Poydras, three of the five Hertz buildings have now changed hands. In late 2024, the 39-story Energy Centre at 1100 Poydras was taken over by its lenders. Early this year, a north Louisiana family purchased the 32-story tower at 400 Poydras.  A fourth building, 650 Poydras, is currently listed for sale. The largest of Hertz's buildings, the 1 million-square-foot Hancock Whitney Center is facing loan maturity and will lose its anchor tenant next year, when Shell moves to a new, tax-payer subsidized headquarters building in the River District, leaving the building less than 60% occupied. Investing in New Orleans Benson's purchase of 909 Poydras comes just weeks after she acquired  three properties fronting the historic Harmony Circle. Her organization now owns the three-story Taylor Building at 944 St. Charles Ave., the former Circle Bar building at 1032 St. Charles Ave. and a quarter-acre lot next to the former bar. Tom Benson, who died in 2018, first branched into commercial real estate in 2009 with the purchase of the former New Orleans Centre development. That included Dominion Tower, the one-million-square-foot New Orleans Centre Mall and a 2,000-space parking garage. Benson redeveloped part of the property into Champions Square and renovated and rebranded Dominion Tower as Benson Tower. The former Lord & Taylor location became the Benson Tower Annex. Both Benson Tower and the Benson Tower Annex are 100% leased. The Benson organization subsequently expanded its investment along Poydras Street with the Mercedes-Benz Van Center of New Orleans, which opened in 2022, as well as through ownership of the 1,100-room Hyatt Regency New Orleans, which abuts Champions Square and the sports complex. In late 2021, the group bought Corporate Realty. In mid-2025, it purchased 1515 Poydras, which has been largely vacant since plans to convert it to an apartment complex stalled. Benson is still mulling plans for that building, Bensel said earlier this summer.  Benson said in a statement she believes it is important to invest where she lives and works. “New Orleans has tremendous assets, tremendous people and tremendous potential," she said. "We need to continue creating reasons for businesses, families, visitors and investors to choose New Orleans.”