First Industrial Realty Trust (FR) 8-K H. Patrick Hackett, Jr. Joins Board of Directors of First Industrial Realty Trust

Exhibit 99.1

First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc.
311 South Wacker Drive
Suite 3900
Chicago, IL 60606
312/344-4300
FAX: 312/922-9851
MEDIA RELEASE

H. Patrick Hackett, Jr. Joins Board of Directors of First
Industrial Realty Trust

CHICAGO, December 2, 2009 — First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: FR), a leading provider of industrial real estate supply chain solutions, announced today that H. Patrick Hackett, Jr. has joined its board of directors. Mr. Hackett is principal of HHS Co., a privately-held real estate and investment company located in the Chicago area.

Previously, Mr. Hackett retired as chief executive officer and president of RREEF Capital, Inc. and principal of The RREEF Funds, a commercial real estate investment management firm. There, he supervised the capital markets, opportunistic and value-added areas of the firm while serving on its policy, compensation and investment committees for both its public securities and private investment businesses.

Bruce W. Duncan, president and CEO of First Industrial, said, “We are pleased that Pat has joined our board of directors. His wealth of real estate and finance experience will be invaluable in shaping the future of the Company.”

During his career, Mr. Hackett also served in various management positions at JMB Realty Corporation, The First National Bank of Chicago and Peat Marwick Mitchell & Co., predecessor of KPMG. He also taught real estate finance at the Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University, during which time he served on the real estate advisory boards of Kellogg and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Mr. Hackett currently serves on the business boards of Evanston Capital Management, Wintrust Financial Corporation, North Shore Community Bank, and Textura Corporation. He received his Bachelor of Arts and Masters of Management degrees from Northwestern University.

First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc. (NYSE: FR) provides industrial real estate solutions for every stage of a customer’s supply chain, no matter how large or complex. Across major markets in North America, our local market experts manage, lease, buy, (re)develop, and sell industrial properties, including all of the major facility types — bulk and regional distribution centers, light industrial, manufacturing, and R&D/flex. We have a track record of industry leading customer service, and in total, we own, manage and have under development 94 million square feet of industrial space. For more information, please visit us atwww.firstindustrial.com. We post or otherwise make available on this website from time to time information that may be of interest to investors.

< more >

Forward-Looking Information

This press release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. We intend such forward-looking statements to be covered by the safe harbor provisions for forward-looking statements contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and are including this statement for purposes of complying with those safe harbor provisions. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe future plans, strategies and expectations of the Company, are generally identifiable by use of the words “believe,” “expect,” “intend,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “project,” “seek,” “target,” “potential,” “focus,” “may,” “should” or similar expressions. Our ability to predict results or the actual effect of future plans or strategies is inherently uncertain. Factors which could have a materially adverse affect on our operations and future prospects include, but are not limited to: changes in national, international, regional and local economic conditions generally and real estate markets specifically; changes in legislation/regulation (including changes to laws governing the taxation of real estate investment trusts) and actions of regulatory authorities (including the Internal Revenue Service); our ability to qualify and maintain our status as a real estate investment trust; the availability and attractiveness of financing (including both public and private capital) to us and to our potential counterparties; the availability and attractiveness of terms of additional debt repurchases; interest rates; our credit agency ratings; our ability to comply with applicable financial covenants; competition; changes in supply and demand for industrial properties (including land, the supply and demand for which is inherently more volatile than other types of industrial property) in the Company’s current and proposed market areas; difficulties in consummating acquisitions and dispositions; risks related to our investments in properties through joint ventures; environmental liabilities; slippages in development or lease-up schedules; tenant creditworthiness; higher-than-expected costs; changes in asset valuations and related impairment charges; changes in general accounting principles, policies and guidelines applicable to real estate investment trusts; international business risks and those additional factors described under the heading “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the Company’s annual report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2008 and in the Company’s subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q. We caution you not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which reflect our outlook only and speak only as of the date of this press release or the dates indicated in the statements. We assume no obligation to update or supplement forward-looking statements. 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.

Contact: Art Harmon
Director, Investor Relations and Corporate Communications
(312) 344-4320

###