Sources said a “hard” contract was signed late Friday. No outside brokers were involved. It is believed that Clarion, which manages over $32 billion in international assets, is putting most of the capital into the purchase. SL Green bailed Moinian out of a pickle at 180 Maiden Lane three years ago with a $280 million loan that gave SLG a 49.9 percent stake.
The modern office tower with expansive harbor and skyline views has nearly 800,000 square feet available of its total 1.9 million feet — a fact that enhances its long-term value in a downtown market where rents have steadily been rising.
“The price of just under $450 per square foot is a good number, not a distressed price at all,” said an investment sale source not involved in the deal.
The prospective sale is a sign of strength in Lower Manhattan’s east-of-Broadway market, which has played second fiddle to the Hudson River side, where major deals have been made at the World Trade Center, Brookfield Place and One Liberty Plaza.
The 1984-vintage 180 Maiden Lane suffered two blows in the past few years — flooding from Superstorm Sandy, which forced its evacuation for several months, and the departure of major tenant AIG.
But SL Green and Moinian subsequently made the property more secure and have been upgrading its systems and infrastructure.
Reps for SL Green, Clarion, Murray Hill and leasing agent Cushman & Wakefield did not get back to us.
Douglas Elliman Real Estate has joined forces with brokerage Williamson, Picket, Gross Inc. to form a new division, Douglas Elliman Commercial. Although Douglas Elliman has long done commercial work, it’s best known for its glamorous residential dealmaking.
But the new enterprise represents a ramping up of Chairman Howard Lorber’s push into office and retail dealmaking. It will be led by WPG founder Jim Gross, his son and partner Peter Gross and Douglas Elliman’s Louis Puopolo.
“We’re best known for being New York’s largest residential brokerage, but we’ve been ranked among the best brokerages in the commercial realm for years,” Lorber said.
The new division will allow Douglas Elliman to “expand our full-service real estate capabilities in the national arena,” Lorber added.
Jim Gross, who has leased over 40 million square feet of New York office space, said the new relationship makes his firm “an extension of the Douglas Elliman family.”
WPG has brokered the sale of 305 E. 46th St., formerly owned by Extell, and its tenant-rep clients include Lin Media and Soho House Group, which it brought to its Meatpacking District location.
The newly formed unit does not include Douglas Elliman’s Dana Commercial Group or its retail team led by Faith Hope Consolo and Joseph Aquino.
Contemporary fashion house Theory Holdings has signed the first new lease at the William Kaufman Organization’s 2 Gansevoort St. since the landmarked Meatpacking District building was renamed from its old address, 320 W. 13th St.
Theory — founded in 1997 by Andrew Rosen and Elie Tahari — signed for 79,000 square feet for 16 years at the 199,000 square-footer, where asking rents run from $90 to $115 per square foot. It is now 100 percent leased. Other tenants include Ennead Architects, CRT Tanaka and White Columns Gallery.
Michael Lenchner, vice-president of Kaufman’s leasing/management division, Sage Realty Corp., said 2 Gansevoort — a former warehouse building opened in 1912, which Kaufman has owned since 1948 — is undergoing a major capital improvements program, including lobby upgrades, window replacements and new elevators and main entrance.
Newmark Grubb Knight Frank’s Brian Waterman and Lance Korman represented Theory, while Lenchner repped the landlord in-house.
In a rare bright spot on the sluggish Third Avenue retail leasing scene, a new “food concept” is coming to the north end of Trump Plaza at 1048 Third Ave., at East 62nd Street.
Peter Katsihitis, who’s a partner in the Viand and Astro coffee shops and previously owned the Gardenia and Palladium, has signed a lease for 1,750 square feet. The site was most recently a Sprint store.
The Trump Organization was repped by Gary Dana, Rick Dana and Adam Kramer of Douglas Elliman’s Dana Commercial Group. Gary Dana said that although Katsihitis has yet to choose a name, the new eatery would be a “specialty gourmet sandwich and baked goods operation.”
The deal was done “close to” the $240-a-square-foot asking rent.