Forvis Mazars is moving its Atlanta office out of downtown. In the coming weeks the professional services firm expects to open on the 11th floor of 999 Peachtree in Midtown, taking 25,000 square feet. It leaves behind roughly 45,000 square feet across two floors at 191 Peachtree, one of downtown's most recognizable towers.
Managing partner Jon Tomberlin attributed the smaller footprint primarily to cutting conference and training room space, with the firm planning to lean on the shared amenities at 999 Peachtree, which include large conference and training rooms. It is the same calculation running through office decisions across the market as hybrid schedules hold.
The firm provides audit, assurance, tax and advisory services and employs about 160 people in Atlanta. It became one of the country's largest CPA firms through a June 2024 agreement linking U.S.-based Forvis with the international network Mazars, which brought roughly 1,000 U.S. Mazars employees into Forvis. Forvis itself was formed in a June 2022 merger of Missouri-based BKD and Charlotte-based Dixon Hughes Goodman — the latter being the company with Atlanta roots. \"When we moved into the 191 building, we were a regional firm,\" Tomberlin said. \"Now, almost 12 years later, we are a top 10 firm in the U.S. and part of a global professional services network with more than 40,000 combined total employees in over 100 countries worldwide.\"
The building they are leaving is under real strain. 191 Peachtree, owned by Banyan Street Capital and Oaktree Capital Management, is roughly 54% occupied. In March, Morningstar Credit placed it on a distressed loan watchlist, per Bisnow, noting the downtown office submarket is not improving. As the loan approaches maturity, Morningstar DBRS recently modeled a liquidation scenario applying a 65% haircut to the issuance appraised value of $270.5 million, implying substantial investor losses. Banyan did not comment. Deloitte, another accounting firm, left the same building for Midtown a few years ago.
The destination is on the other side of that trade. 999 Peachtree is owned by Piedmont Realty Trust, the Atlanta-based publicly traded REIT, which says the building has attracted about 288,000 square feet of new leasing since its 2021 acquisition — though Eversheds Sutherland did vacate a large block there in favor of Bank of America Plaza. \"This momentum reinforces the strong demand for thoughtfully transformed, amenity-rich workplaces,\" said Alex Valente, Piedmont's co-chief operating officer.
Tomberlin said the firm sees a clear path to growth in Atlanta and wants to become a top 10 firm locally, adding that the current deregulatory environment provides near-term certainty while softening consulting demand in some sectors. He also said he is \"a little sad\" to leave 191 Peachtree: \"This is such a beautiful, classy building with rich history. The architecture is amazing and with its twin crowns on the top of the building, it is one of the most recognizable buildings in Atlanta.\"
Original reporting: Atlanta Business Chronicle (2026-08-28)