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Even as the pandemic raises questions about the future of Hartford’s office market, three new leases in a downtown tower suggest many companies still value a presence in the city, including two firms that decided to expand their footprint.

The three firms will take a total of 54,816 square feet in the 38-story, 884,669 square-foot CityPlace 1 tower at 185 Asylum St.

CapSpecialty, a leading provider of specialty insurance for small to mid-size businesses, is set to move into its new 23,122 square foot space, relocating its operations from Glastonbury to downtown Hartford.

Marcum LLP, one of the largest independent public accounting and advisory services firms in the nation, already moved into its new 18,894 square foot space at CityPlace, expanding its operation from its previous space.

While law firm Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, more than doubled its space within the tower, expanding its business to 12,800 square feet.

JLL Managing Director Christopher Ostop represented building owner Paradigm Properties in all three lease transactions. CBRE negotiated on behalf of CapSpecialty; Newmark Knight Frank represented Marcum LLP in the transaction; and Avison Young represented Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP in the deal.