Take heart, all you investors crying into your Sam Adams over the missed opportunity to acquire the coveted John Hancock Tower, because another Boston office gem is back on the market. A venture led by American Financial Realty Trust is formally shopping the 1 million-square-foot State Street Financial Center at One Lincoln St.

There has been talk in the last month that the Jenkintown, PA, REIT and its partner might test the waters with a sale, which was confirmed in a recent earnings conference call. The 36-story building is indeed in the market and is expected to fetch top dollar.

As one American Financial Realty executive said in a recent call, "This is a high-quality credit tenant and a great building. The Boston market is getting better, cap rates are low and we're optimistic."

Some have pegged a sale price north of $800 million, and possibly soaring to near $900 million.

American Financial Realty acquired the property in February 2004 for $705.4 million or $688.84 per square foot from a joint venture including The Gale Co. Later that year, the REIT recapitalized the building and sold a 30% stake to an affiliate of IPC US Real Estate Investment Trust, a Canadian REIT, for $60.3 million. That transaction valued the property at $763.5 million.

It's not clear which broker has been selected for the prime listing, but the buzz is that Eastdil Secured will shop the property.

The main attraction for investors is the fully leased building with triple A credit tenant State Street Corp. occupying most of the building under a 20-year lease that ends in 2023. The property, which includes a 900-space garage also leased to State Street on a 20-year triple-net lease, is encumbered by about $543 million in debt, according to regulatory filings.

The disposition is part of American Financial Realty's plans to reposition itself. It is pruning its portfolio to focus on bank-branch-anchored real estate. In August, the company named a new president and CEO. Harold Pote replaced Nicholas Schorsch.