Now, this couldn’t possibly be true — could it?
According to the Greek-American newspaper, The National Herald, architect Santiago Calatrava is “reportedly the leading candidate” to design the new Church of St. Nicholas just south of the World Trade Center.
That’s right, the same Calatrava whose cyclopean WTC Transportation Hub is seven years late, more than $2 billion over budget and has tied other site construction into knots.
The original St. Nicholas was destroyed on 9/11.
Ever since, its replacement on Port Authority-owned land — exactly where it would go and how big it would be — has been a political hot potato tossed among three different governors, several Port Authority chiefs and the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese.
The archdiocese’s Father Mark Arey told us: “Mr. Calatrava has certainly been among the 12 or 13 architects who were pre-selected to offer designs.
“But we have not made an announcement. It’s unfortunate someone spoke pre-emptively to the National Herald.”
A PA rep didn’t get back to us by deadline.
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Joseph Moinian’s planned Hudson Yards District tower will cost at least $800 million to $900 million to build and will need to pre-lease “a third to half” of its 1.5 million square feet of offices to get built, he said yesterday.
Whether it’s 33 percent or 50 percent “depends on how much equity I put in,” Moinian said with a laugh. “Would I do this on spec? Never,” he laughed again.
The project at 11th Avenue and West 34th Street, called 3 Hudson Boulevard, is to be formally “unveiled” today. You might ask: unveil what, since The Post’s Lois Weiss first reported its size, location and design back in January.
Well, the developer’s Moinian Group wants to keep his dream clear in the public’s mind and differentiate it from similarly named projects on the white-hot Far West Side. He also wants to signal that he fully intends to build it — and not hold out to sell the valuable land or trade it, as Extell chief Gary Barnett is doing with a nearby site he’s in contract to swap with Related Cos.
Related controls the 26-acre Hudson Yards rail yard site between 10th and 12th avenues and West 30th and 33rd streets, where it’s begun work on the new Coach Inc. headquarters tower.
Extell’s “One Hudson Yards” site — a name that did not go down well with Related chief Stephen Ross — is directly south of Moinian’s land and north of Related’s.
A cynic might ask whether showing off 3 Hudson Blvd., designed by FXFowle’s Dan Kaplan, on the heels of the Extell-Related swap might be an inducement to another company — Related, maybe? — to make an offer for Moinian’s site. But he said firmly: “We have no such plans, nor are we talking to anyone about any kind of swap.
“There have been no talks, no approaches,” he emphasized.
Even so, the timetable depends on finding one or more office tenants. That is far from impossible — as Related proved with Coach, L’Oreal and SAP for its first tower on 10th Avenue — but no walk in the park either.
There’s no question 3 Hudson Blvd. enjoys a strong location — not only because of the subway entrance, but also for its proximity to the Javits Center and the new Hudson Park and Boulevard under construction between 10th and 11th avenues from 34th-39th streets.
Today, brokerage Avison Young tristate President Arthur Mirante is expected to discuss the kinds of tenants Moinian will be hunting for 3 Hudson Blvd.’s 47,000 square-foot floor plates at the podium level, 30,000 to 35,000 square-foot plates above it, and 22,000 square feet of retail on the 11th Avenue side.
Besides proposed LEED Platinum certification, amenities will include a “sky club lobby” at the top.
Moinian Group’s high-profile Manhattan commercial properties include the W Downtown Hotel and the re-clad 3 Columbus Circle — “which was harder than building ground-up,” Moinian said.
As for Related’s neighboring mega-complex, Moinian called it “one of the greatest projects in the United States and it will do very, very well. We cannot wait for them to succeed with it, which I’m sure they will.”
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Hanesbrands Inc., manufacturer of “apparel essentials” like bras and men’s underwear, liked the fit at 260 Madison Ave.
The company just renewed on 60,105 square feet for 10 years. It plans to renovate and modernize its space on the sixth and 14th floors.
Jones Lang LaSalle’s Mitchell Konsker and Matt Ginberg, with Cushman & Wakefield’s Robert Gallucci, co-brokered the deal for the tenant. Landlord Sapir Organization was repped by Cushman’s Alan Wildes and Bruce Mosler.
A source said the deal was done in the low $40s per square foot.
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Law firm Ellenoff Grossman & Schole has subleased 40,644 square feet, the entire 11th floor, from AllianceBernstein at 1345 Sixth Ave. The legal eagles are moving from 150 E. 42nd St.
The sublease term is six years, and the ask was in the low $50s per square foot, sources said.
The tenant was repped by Cushman & Wakefield’s Tim Gibson; Alliance Bernstein was repped by CBRE’s Brad Needleman, Michael Affronti, Ryan Alexander and Alexander Golod.