Healthpeak Buys Harvard-Smithsonian Building in Cambridge

The $36 million acquisition gives Healthpeak full ownership of the four-building Cambridge Discovery Park campus in West Cambridge.

Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Commercial

Mid-rise glass and brick office building beside an empty parking field and mature trees under overcast daylight. — Healthpeak agreed to buy a Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics building in Cambridge for $36 million, giving it full ownership of the Discovery Park campus. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Healthpeak announced a pending $36 million acquisition of a building occupied by the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. The deal gives the company full ownership of the 605,000-square-foot Cambridge Discovery Park campus off Route 2.

Why it matters

The transaction consolidates Healthpeak's control of a major Cambridge office and research campus after its earlier minority stake. It also forms part of four pending acquisitions totaling $233 million and 510,000 square feet.

The Cambridge campus spans 605,000 square feet, and 100 Acorn Park Drive, a 129,000-square-foot building at 53 percent occupancy, will also come under Healthpeak's leasing and management after closing. The reported details do not say what price or occupancy outcome Healthpeak expects from the change.

The players

Healthpeak

Healthpeak is a real estate investment trust focused on healthcare and life-science properties.

The details

Healthpeak originally bought three buildings at Cambridge Discovery Park outright and acquired a 49 percent interest in the fourth from Bulfinch Companies in 2020. The pending deal completes its full ownership of the campus.

2020: Healthpeak acquired controlling interest in Cambridge Discovery Park for $664 million.
September: Cambridge officials approved Healthpeak's Cambridge Point development.

Market Landscape

The move follows Healthpeak's 2020 purchase of a controlling interest in the Cambridge Discovery Park campus for $664 million. It extends the company's position in its Massachusetts portfolio, which totaled 2.6 million square feet valued at $2.9 billion as of Dec. 31, 2026.

Tenants and workers at the Cambridge Discovery Park campus may see changes in leasing and property management once Healthpeak takes over. Healthpeak says it expects to drive better leasing outcomes at 100 Acorn Park Drive, which is currently 53 percent occupied.

The takeaway

Healthpeak's full ownership of Cambridge Discovery Park signals a push to consolidate control of its Massachusetts commercial holdings. Local readers tracking the campus should watch how leasing at 100 Acorn Park Drive changes under new management.