Organization

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2019

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Organization

Organization

Equity Commonwealth, or the Company, is a real estate investment trust, or REIT, formed in 1986 under the laws of the State of Maryland. Our business is primarily the ownership and operation of office properties in the United States.

On November 10, 2016, the Company converted to what is commonly referred to as an umbrella partnership real estate investment trust, or UPREIT. In connection with this conversion, the Company contributed substantially all of its assets to EQC Operating Trust, a Maryland real estate investment trust, or the Operating Trust, and the Operating Trust assumed substantially all of the Company’s liabilities pursuant to a contribution and assignment agreement between the Company and the Operating Trust.

The Company now conducts and intends to continue to conduct substantially all of its activities through the Operating Trust. The Company beneficially owned, 99.96% of the outstanding shares of beneficial interest, designated as units, in the Operating Trust, or OP Units, as of December 31, 2019, and the Company is the sole trustee of the Operating Trust.  As the sole trustee, the Company generally has the power under the declaration of trust of the Operating Trust to manage and conduct the business of the Operating Trust, subject to certain limited approval and voting rights of other holders of OP Units.

At December 31, 2019, our portfolio consisted of seven properties (12 buildings), with a combined 2.5 million square feet. As of December 31, 2019, we had $2.8 billion of cash and cash equivalents. All numbers of properties, numbers of buildings and square feet are unaudited.