INVESTORS

CHICAGO, Dec. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: FR), the nation's largest provider of diversified industrial real estate, today announced that it has completed the acquisition of a sixteen building, 952,000 square-foot portfolio for approximately $57 million in the Baltimore/Washington D.C. market.

The portfolio is comprised of 10 buildings totaling 582,000 square feet in the Hunt Valley Business Community and six buildings totaling 370,000 square feet in the Rutherford Business Center in suburban Baltimore. The portfolio also includes three land parcels totaling more than 18 acres. These prominent industrial parks are located near downtown Baltimore and provide ready access to the Capitol Beltway, the Baltimore Beltway Inner Loop, I-83, and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.

"We are pleased to acquire these high quality buildings as we expand our national platform in the important Baltimore/Washington D.C. market," said Johannson L. Yap, chief investment officer. "First Industrial's expertise in acquiring industrial portfolios with multiple property types enabled us to win this portfolio."

"Through this transaction, First Industrial is meeting its strategic objectives in the region to expand our presence and offer more industrial real estate solutions to corporate customers in the Baltimore area," said Mark McConnell, regional director. "These properties offer functionality and accessibility for companies serving this dynamic, competitive marketplace."

First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc., the nation's largest provider of diversified industrial real estate, serves every aspect of Corporate America's industrial real estate needs, including customized supply chain solutions, through its unique I-N-D-L operating platform, which utilizes a pure Industrial focus and National scope to provide Diverse facility types, while offering Local, full-service management and expertise. The Company owns, operates and has under development more than 100 million square feet of industrial real estate in markets throughout the United States. Building, buying, selling, leasing and managing industrial property in major markets nationwide, First Industrial develops long-term relationships with corporate real estate directors, tenants and brokers to better serve customers with creative, flexible industrial real estate solutions.

This press release contains forward-looking information about the Company. A number of factors could cause the Company's actual results to differ materially from those anticipated, including changes in: economic conditions generally and the real estate market specifically, legislative/regulatory changes (including changes to laws governing the taxation of real estate investment trusts), availability of financing, interest rate levels, competition, supply and demand for industrial properties in the Company's current and proposed market areas, potential environmental liabilities, slippage in development or lease-up schedules, tenant credit risks, higher- than-expected costs and changes in general accounting principles, policies and guidelines applicable to real estate investment trusts. For further information on these and other factors that could impact the Company and the statements contained herein, reference should be made to the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

SOURCE First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc.

CONTACT: Sean P. O'Neill, SVP, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications, +1-312-344-4401, or Art Harmon, Sr. Manager, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications, +1-312-344-4320, both of First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc.