TikTok Ups Its Bet on Nashville

TikTok is turning up the volume on Music Row by expanding its Nashville operation and giving a boost to the local office market’s ongoing pandemic recovery.

The social media giant has leased about 58,000 square feet across two full floors in the 15-story Moore Building, at 827 19th Avenue South, the Nashville Business Journal reported.

The lease more than doubles TikTok’s Nashville footprint, as it currently leases just over 50,000 square feet across three floors in the downtown building at 150 Fourth Avenue North.

TikTok’s expansion comes as Nashville’s office market is appearing to improve. The city’s office vacancy rate fell to 15.6 percent in the fourth quarter, down from 16.5 percent the previous quarter and 16.7 percent the one before that, according to real estate firm Colliers. The city’s vacancy rate stood below 8 percent at the beginning of 2020, before the pandemic ignited the remote-work era and wreaked havoc on office markets across much of the nation.

TikTok’s new office, located in the Midtown neighborhood, will house the company’s United States Data Security team. It will cost TikTok an estimated $2.8 million to build out the space, which is set to include interior partitions for open office areas, enclosed offices, meeting rooms and a break room, the outlet reported, citing a permit application.

Senator Marsha Blackburn expressed opposition to TikTok’s expansion in Nashville, citing concerns over Chinese influence and data security.

“When TikTok’s CEO was in Washington, I made it clear to him that Tennesseans are extremely concerned about China’s influence,” Blackburn told the outlet. “TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is tied to the Chinese Communist Party by strict laws in Beijing that force companies to hand over users’ personal data.”

The 240,000-square-foot Moore Building, which opened last year, was developed by Atlanta-based Portman Holdings and Nashville-based Creed Investment Company. The building includes 8,500 square feet of ground-floor retail space and various amenities, including a fitness center, tenant lounge and a rooftop entertainment area.

—Quinn Donoghue