E-port, the high-tech center located in the historic Chicago building that formerly housed the Montgomery Ward and Co. Catalog Building, recently signed leases for 228,000 sq. ft. of office and telecommunications space with two of the nation's leading telecommunications firms. The agreements with Princeton, N.J.-based RCN Corp. and Clinton, Miss.-based Worldcom secure the first two spots at the 1.5 million sq. ft. facility. Worldcom will occupy 146,000 sq. ft. at E-port. RCN Corp. leased 82,000 sq. ft.

Built in 1908, the E-port building is registered as a National Historic Landmark. A development team consisting of New York-based Taconic Investment Partners, Chicago-based Centrum Properties, Philadelphia-based Amerimar, and New York-based Angelo Gordon and Co. is investing more than $150 million to convert the building into state-of-the-art high-tech office space.