Entrance to Tower 56 (photo courtesy of Cushman & Wakefield)

The firm will be relocating from its 8th floor office to the entire 17th floor, sized at 5,619 square feet.

Harry Blair and Sean Kearns, both of Cushman & Wakefield, represented the building’s owner, Pearlmark Real Estate Partners. Both men are exclusive leasing agents for the building.

Randy Abend of Jones Lang LaSalle represented Blakes.

The lease is for 7 years. Asking rent for the building is a whopping $79 a square foot.

In a prepared statement sent to The Commercial Observer, Mr. Blair said that recent refurbishments made to Tower 56, work that was handled by architecture firm Moeb de Armas & Shannon, helped convince the Canadian counselors to stay and move up in the building.

“The renovation of Tower 56, which features a new lobby and elevators, was very appealing to Blakes,” said Mr. Blair, a senior director at Cushman & Wakefield.

Renovations included a new lobby with a “dramatically lit entrance” and elevators that have been outfitted with ebony wood and translucent glass panels.

Tower 56, located in the Plaza District, is a 185,000 square foot Class A building between Park and Lexington Avenues.

Founded in 1856, Blakes has recently notched a string of accolades commending it for its work. It was named “Law Firm of the Year: Canada” by Chambers and Partners in 2012, and was selected as one of “Greater Toronto’s Top Employers” in 2011.

The company was also the first Canadian law firm to open a practice in the Gulf Region after it set up shop in Manama, Bahrain. It also formed an alliance with the firm of Dr. Saud Al-Ammari in Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia.

drosen@observer.com