In January 2008, A Brooks Properties closed on the acquisition of the 10,500-square-foot Chanel flagship building in San Francisco's Union Square for $23.5 million, or approximately $2,328 per square foot. According to CoStar COMPS, this deal represents a record-breaking price per square foot for a true retail building sold in the San Francisco market. Kobe Investment, an Osaka, Japan based investment company, sold the building for $10.5 million more (about $1,000 per square foot more) than it paid for it in 1990. The three-story building (plus rentable basement), built in 1907, has an address of 156 Maiden Lane/156 Geary Street and is located just around the corner from Union Square Park and the famous Sir Francis Drake Hotel. Allied Irish Bank provided $21.2 million to finance the deal. George Eckard and Kazuko Morgan of Cushman & Wakefield of California negotiated the transaction for both parties. A Brooks Properties is an investment arm of Limerick, Ireland development tycoon, Aidan Brooks. Brooks has been a very active investor in high profile retail properties in the U.S. in recent years, not only through A Brooks Properties, but also through a stake in Sloan Capital. The two investment vehicles have given Brooks an ownership piece in properties including the Rhinelander Mansion in New York, home to the Polo Ralph Lauren flagship store; 216-220 Post Street in San Francisco, home to Saks Fifth Ave Men; Two Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, home to Tiffany's; and 1 Grant Ave in San Francisco, home to Emporio Armani.