In a good sign for the city’s financial world, First Republic Bank has completed an early renewal and expansion at 1230 Ave. of the Americas to now encompass 150,000 square feet.
Frank Doyle and David Kleiner of Jones Lang LaSalle represented the bank in the deal that added 38,000 square feet on the 7th floor to their current partial ground, plus entire 2nd and 3rd floor digs.
Asking rents for comparable area spaces are in the $60s per square foot.
Tishman Speyer Properties, which owns and manages the Rockefeller Center building, declined to comment through a spokeswoman, as did the brokerage.
City brokers have bemoaned the retrenching of the financial-services industry, which down-sized and is finally taking baby expansion steps at a time all companies are taking less space and cramming folks into open-floor plans with knee-knocking benches and cubicles.
Rudin Management is reinventing 560 Lexington Ave., the first building that then-young Bill Rudin developed with his father, Lew, cousin, Eric, and uncle, Jack.
The property was constructed on the former location of Cathedral High School, and to get bonuses, the Rudins said the family firm created a covered pedestrian space and subway entrance.
But the 1977-designed, 22-story structure on the northwest corner of East 50th Street was also required to be clad in red brick — to blend in with the low-rise St. Bartholomew’s Church and the historical, lightning-topped GE Building at 570 Lexington — on either side.
Now they will spend “millions” on a Skidmore Owings Merrill design that will add sleek limestone and marble to the interiors of the covered entryway and glass-walled lobby, along with new elevator cabs and a curvy glass subway stair entrance.
“Presently, it’s very dark and it was designed to bring more light and openness to the covered pedestrian space,” Rudin said.
A former Verizon block of 80,000 square feet on the 6th through 8th floors will become available at the end of 2014, making it a perfect time to modernize the public spaces.
A Starbucks, a Godiva and exterior brick will remain in place.
Joseph Sitt’s Thor Equities is in contract to notch another retail property in Soho for $6 million. The 2,150-square-foot 452 West Broadway location has three levels and was once the site of Rizzoli.
Public records show the seller is Ferrim USA, an entity controlled by Aeffe, which is the parent of designers Massimo and Alberta Ferretti, who shuttered their boutique, Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti. Ferrim also owns the uptown townhouse off Fifth Avenue at 30 W. 56th St.
Located between Prince and West Houston streets, the modernized 20-foot-wide structure has a giant glass window that spans upwards over two stories of the façade.
The building has 800 square feet on the ground floor, 650 square feet on a mezzanine and 900 square feet on a lower level.
No one could be reached for comment.
Nearby, for its first US location, DSquared2 has just leased 402 W. Broadway at Spring Street, which was previously the site of Origins and Links of London. The two stores were combined into 2,200 square feet over three levels with a ground asking rent of $750 a square foot.
Christopher Owles, Randy Kornblatt and Trisha Etienne of Sinvin Real Estate represented the ownership.
The Canadian-born founders of DSquared2, twins Dean and Dan Catan, attended Parsons School of Design and now split their time between London and their Milan fashion house. They have a showroom in Chelsea, and their other world city flagships include wood touches as an homage to their Canadian roots.
Next summer’s women’s collection, dubbed Tikigirl, brings back tiny-waisted 1950s beach and safari wear with sparkling twists, along with cats’ eye glasses, perfect for their celebrity fans like Katy Perry and Jennifer Lopez. Singer Michael Bublé and rapper 50 Cent sport their men’s collection, which for spring has safari flairs and shorter pants.
Aside from Kanye West, which celeb would run around with a raffia skirt over jeans?
Robin Williams?
Since Famiglia Pizzeria couldn’t cut it, a slice of Times Square is ready to be triple-net leased for $1.5 million per year.
The three-story plus basement corner property at 1628-30 Broadway has a total of 11,200 square feet. It has 50 feet of frontage on Broadway and 57 feet on W. 50th Street.
“It’s a fabulous branding opportunity,” said Victor Menkin, head of Menkin Realty Service, speaking of the location by the subway entrances used by 3 million people per year and passed by millions more. Caroline’s Comedy Club is right next door.
Remaining tenants are on month-to-month leases in 2,800 square feet per floor. A billboard covers the 3rd floor windows and is separately leased, but other signage is available. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
Will Leather Goods, based in Eugene, Ore., has leased 2,000 square feet at 29 Prince Street in Nolita for its first city store to show off its quality hides and cow logo.
The company has a shop in Portland, Ore., and a flagship in Venice, Calif.
Brett Nidel of Veracity Real Estate Management represented both sides of the deal that had an asking rent of $240 per square foot. Moo.
We just learned that Lakewood Capital Management, a subtenant at 650 Madison Ave., has signed one of the first leases completed since the building was purchased last fall for $1.29 billion.
Sources tell us the 7,500- square-foot deal for a loft-like pre-built that comprises the majority of the 25th floor was signed at more than $150 per square foot, a high for the building.
Evan Margolin of Studley represented the company, which has been there since 2009, when it relocated from smaller digs at 509 Madison.
Mitch Konsker, Frank Doyle and Benjamin Bass represented Vornado Realty Trust, Oxford Properties Group, Highgate Holdings and Crown Acquisitions.
Lakewood is a sub-tenant of Reservoir Capital, which is moving to the GM building and will be in temporary space until their new offices are built.
A multi-family office and portfolio management services firm, TAG Associates, now a subtenant of Time Warner, will relocate from 75 Rockefeller Center to 810 Seventh Ave. in the spring.
A Studley team of Daniel O. Horowitz, Jeffrey I. Peck and Joseph Messina represented the tenant. SL Green Realty Corp. was represented in-house by Larry Swiger and Jeremy Bier along with Barry Zeller of Cushman & Wakefield.