Business

SPOTLIGHT’S ON THE LIMELIGHT

THE former Limelight could soon be hosting filmmaking, fashion shows and other special events.

Joe Dirosa of the New York Artist Series says he is close to an agreement with owners Ashkenazy Acquisitions on a joint venture that would rent out the old church and club space on the northeast corner of West 26th Street and Avenue of the Americas.

“We will have filmmaking and TV shows and special events and runway shows – or even things like a pop-up Apple store,” said Dirosa, who is itching to clean up the space and get the cavernous rooms, offices and garden back onto a money-making track.

The former nightclub space that became notorious while under the control of nightclub impresario Peter Gatien has been shuttered while the building’s owners regrouped. And in an effort to also clean it up financially, the space has been pitched to retail stores like Barnes & Noble and Anthropologie.

But Dirosa admitted his current deal isn’t sewn up as he’s now been asked to come up with a $250,000 security deposit.

Ashkenazy’s principal didn’t get back to us.

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The Jewish Forward is hopping over its Lower East Side roots with a move from Midtown South to downtown space.

The news organization that was launched in 1887 as the voice of America’s Jewish immigrants just bought 25,622 feet, representing the entire eighth floor, of 125 Maiden Lane from the Empire State Development Corp.

The Forward paid more than $11.5 million or $450 a foot for the space. The newspaper will move at the end of the year after its building at 45 E. 33rd St. is sold to an Israeli hotel developer.

The Forward was represented by Larry Roberts from Arch Brokerage, while the ESDC was represented by Michael Rudder of Time Equities.

Roberts is also representing Forward in the sale of its building.

When Charles Gargano was still the head of ESDC, and George Pataki was still governor, Time Equities sold seven floors of 125 Maiden Lane to the state to become the governor’s new offices.

But when Eliot Spitzer became governor, he decided not to move in and instead renewed the lease at Time Equities’ building at 633 Third Ave.

Since then, Rudder said the ESDC has been progressively selling off its floors. And while the floors are not technically on the market, ESDC has two floors left.

Meanwhile, Time Equities is expected to sell 5,792 feet for $575 a foot to Fraternita Di Comunione E Liberazione in a deal that will close around Sept. 1.

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Former New York Giants tight end Howard Cross has joined GVA Williams as a tenant rep after a three-year stint with CB Richard Ellis.

Cross, who still follows every game as a sideline reporter for the YES cable network, said he needed “elbow room” to grow and GVA Williams is “a firm on the rise and is trying to gain market share.”

He added that he finds parallels between football and real estate. Both are very competitive businesses with new guys coming in each year “to unseat you,” and both are also games of space and territories.

“It’s like a game. . .who will win these little battles,” Cross said.

As to the upcoming season, Cross observed, “Fortunately for the Giants, the Olympics are going on and there’s Brett Farve and the US Open is starting, and [that] distracts from the fact that the Giants won the Super Bowl.”

Cross played on the 1991 Super Bowl championship team and was also there 10 years later when the Giants lost to the Baltimore Ravens.

lois.weiss@nypost.com