By Gus Delaporte 5/30 9:35am

Sales Beat

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CME Group Puts NYMEX Headquarters on the Block

CME Group, the world’s largest futures exchange company with exchanges in Chicago and New York, is exploring the possible sale of the NYMEX Building, the headquarters of the New York Mercantile Exchange, at One North End Avenue, it was announced yesterday.

In the event of a sale, CME Group will lease back a portion of the building and will continue the operation of the NYMEX trading floor.

“CME Group remains committed to our floor based membership and open outcry trading services in New York, which continue to be a profitable part of our business and serve our customers well,” said Jamie Parisi, chief financial officer of CME Group, in a prepared statement.  “Going forward, whether we decide to retain occupancy at One North End or relocate within Lower Manhattan, we are committed to updating our New York offices to reflect the innovation and quality of our CME Group offices around the world.” Read More

By Gus Delaporte 5/22 10:00am

ICSC 2013

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NYC Retail Heat Map

New York retail comes in sizes large and small, from spaces of only a few hundred feet in Soho
to the city’s massive department stores. As developers continue to find new parcels of land to build upon, new opportunities for retail take shape.

Downtown continues to be repositioned as a retail destination with Brookfield Place, One World Trade Center and the redeveloped South Street Seaport expected to house hundreds of thousands of square feet of shopping space. Not to be outdone, Herald Square is looking at a repositioning, aimed not at discount stores but full-priced international retailers.

After the jump, The Commercial Observer pinpoints 10 retail trends impacting New York City. Read More

By Al Barbarino 5/21 9:00am

ICSC 2013

(Credit: LeVar Thomas)

Retail on the Rebound: Spirits High at ICSC Event

In 2009 and 2010 “you could have rolled a bowling ball down the aisle” at the International Council of Shopping Centers’ RECon conference “and it wouldn’t have hit anybody,” Massey Knakal executive vice president of retail leasing Benjamin Fox told The Commercial Observer.

But when an estimated 33,000 real estate professionals converged upon one million Read More

By Al Barbarino 5/13 11:08am

Hudson Yards

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Time Warner ‘Leaning Towards’ Hudson Yards

Time Warner is “leaning towards” selling its 1.1-million-square-foot headquarters at 60 Columbus Circle and moving to Hudson Yards, Following the cue from anchor tenant Coach, last month SAP and L’Oréal cut deals to lease 115,000 and 402,000 square feet at Related Companies’ South Tower, respectively, bringing it to 80 percent occupancy.

A media company with the influence and scope of Time Warner would be a game-changer for the Yards, some believe.

“The next tenant is an important moment for the district because it starts to build real momentum with tenants from other parts of the city,” Derek Trulson, a broker at Jones Lang LaSalle, who represents Extell Development Co. in leasing its site in the area, told the Journal. Read More

By Al Barbarino 4/16 8:00am

1Q13

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Which Way is Up: Manhattan’s Market Boundaries are Beginning to Blur

From the outside, 222 Broadway fits the stereotype of the Downtown financial office tower.

But when Bank of America downsized, leaving roughly 250,000 square feet of space vacant, a series of tours guided by its new owner, L&L Holdings, quickly blasted that stereotype away.

Condé Nast committed to 80,000 square feet at the tower in early March. WeWork, which provides collaborative workspace for tech and media companies, was next in line. Read More

By Jotham Sederstrom 3/22 9:00am

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Lower Manhattan, By the Numbers

While the story in Midtown South over the past two years has inarguably been Class B and, to a lesser extent, Class C buildings and their increasing cachet among tech startups, the story in lower Manhattan is still all about Class A properties. With approximately five million square feet of new inventory coming online next year with the completion of 1 World Trade Center, the market will boast some of the most efficient and modern space in all of Manhattan.

More immediately, however, approximately two million square feet of space at the World Financial Center is expected to be made available by next month, thanks to lease rollovers by Nomura and Deloitte, among other major tenants. With such availability of Class A space, no wonder the asset class saw a 30 percent uptick in leasing from last February. Jonathan Mazur, director of research at Cushman & Wakefield, clued The Commercial Observer in on some other big statistical changes in lower Manhattan last week and gave us a sense of what’s to come in 2013. Read More

By Gus Delaporte 11:00am

The Sit-Down

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Food With A View: Brookfield Properties’ Ed Hogan on Lower Manhattan’s Answer to Eataly

Ed Hogan is the national director of retail leasing for Brookfield Properties and has a lead role in signing food vendors and retail tenants at the World Financial Center, soon to be renamed Brookfield Place. In the past month, Brookfield has inked deals with eight vendors and confirmed that the restaurateur Peter Poulakakos will operate the facility’s new marketplace. Mr. Hogan spoke with The Commercial Observer last week about his vision for Brookfield Place, the thought process behind choosing food and retail tenants, and how Brookfield Place will fit into lower Manhattan’s evolving landscape.

The Commercial Observer: What is your vision for Brookfield Place?

Mr. Hogan: Our vision is to create the most exciting, dynamic neighborhood in Downtown Manhattan. Brookfield Place is situated on the edge of the Hudson River, facing the New York Harbor and Statue of Liberty, and is truly one of the most special places in the city, with unparalleled views. Given the transformation that Downtown’s undergoing, we just view it as a great opportunity to create a dynamic neighborhood that is indicative of the people living, working and visiting Downtown today. Read More

By Billy Gray 3/19 11:00am

Lower Manhattan 2013

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Next Stop, Lower Manhattan: Fulton Center Transit Hub Chugs Forward

As Grand Central Terminal celebrates its centennial year as a crown of Midtown, the Fulton Center transit hub is being born three miles south.

It’s been a rocky delivery. Since 2004, when the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s project—then known as the Fulton Street Transit Center—was introduced, its budget has ballooned from $750 million to $1.4 billion. And the completion date has been pushed back from 2007 to June of 2014.

Despite troubles common to a project of this scope, M.T.A. officials are optimistic that Fulton Center will transform commuting in lower Manhattan when it ultimately connects 11 previously separated subways lines and installs a pedestrian link to Santiago Calatrava’s World Trade Center PATH station, whose cost certain estimates put at $3.7 billion.

“Fulton Center is designed to create a focal point and an entranceway to Downtown,” said Aaron Donovan, a media liaison at the M.T.A. “Like Grand Central, it’s something everyone can gravitate toward. And lower Manhattan has not had that sort of landmark structure in the past.” Read More

By Billy Gray 3/14 8:00am

Lease Beat

140 Broadway (Credit: NYC Office)

Platinum Underwriters Reinsurance To Leave Brookfield Place for 26,206 Square Feet at 140 Broadway

Platinum Underwriters Reinsurance signed a 10-year, 26,206-square-foot lease at 140 Broadway, The Commercial Observer has learned. The deal will bring the company to the entire 42nd floor of the building from its current space at Brookfield Place (formerly the World Financial Center), where it had been a tenant for over 10 years.

Studley Senior Managing Director John Johnson and Executive Managing Director Marc Shapses represented the tenant. Cushman & Wakefield Executive Director of brokerage Bob Constable and Willard Overlock represented the landlord, 140 BW LLC. Mr. Constable said that asking rents were in the mid-$50 per square foot range.

“The property is very well-located for mass transit, and having the entire floor was very appealing to Platinum,” Mr. Shapses said. “Also, the views are phenomenal. All in all it was the right fit in a Class A building.” Read More

By Al Barbarino 3/07 7:30am

Lease Beat

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TD Ameritrade Lease at 100 Broadway Fills Void Left During Darker Days

TD Ameritrade has signed a 10-year, 9,509-square-foot lease for the ground floor and lower level at 100 Broadway, The Commercial Observer has learned.

The corner retail space in the 24-story office building features more than 170 feet of frontage along Broadway and Pine Streets.

“It’s a great corner space in the heart of the Financial District and steps from Wall Street, which lends itself well to a prominent financial institution like TD Ameritrade,” said Cushman & Wakefield’s Gene Spiegelman, who represented the landlord Madison Capital with Michael O’Neill. Read More

By Gus Delaporte 2/26 7:30am

Food & Drink

Restaurateur Signs Deal to Run World Financial Center Marketplace

Restaurateur Peter Poulakakos has signed on to run the 30,000-square-foot marketplace at Brookfield’s World Financial Center, the New York Post reported yesterday.

Poulakakos is perhaps best known as operator of coffee chain Financier Patisserie but also oversees downtown restaurants Harry’s Café, Harry’s Steak, Adrienne’s Pizza Bar, Ulysses’ and Bayard’s.

“We met with everyone who has the expertise and desire to open a world class market in Manhattan and we were really blown away by Peter’s vision for marketplace,” Edward Hogan, Brookfield’s national director of retail leasing, told The Commercial Observer. Read More

By Billy Gray 2/21 5:20pm

Lease Beat

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Brookfield Announces Leases With Eight Food Vendors At World Financial Center

Brookfield Office Properties announced today that it has signed leases with eight fast casual restaurants at Brookfield Place (formerly World Financial Center) in the Financial District.

The on-trend restaurants are: Chop’t Creative Salad Company, Dig Inn Seasonal Market, Dos Toros, Little Muenster, Num Pang, Skinny Pizza, Sprinkles Cupcakes and Umami Burger. The locations will operate on a 600-seat dining terrace that is currently under construction at the complex, which is in the midst of a $250 million overhaul.

The Commercial Observer reported last summer that Brookfield was in negotiations with several retail tenants they’d hoped would fill a 200,000-square-foot portion of the four-building, eight-million-square-foot compound at the edge of Battery Park City. The dining terrace will go above a 24,000-square-foot marketplace reminiscent of Eataly. Read More

By Gus Delaporte 2/07 7:15am

Lease Beat

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Regus Claims Space at World Financial Center

Office provider Regus completed a transaction to acquire 54,991 square feet, the entire 24th floor, at 3 World Financial Center, according to Jerry Larkin, director of leasing at Brookfield. Mr. Larkin declined to discuss terms of the deal.

Regus will build out the space to their current office standards, Mr. Larkin said.

“What attracted them was obviously the numerous renovations to the center, the quality of the dining and shopping that will be coming to Brookfield Place,” Mr. Larkin added. The World Financial Center will be renamed Brookfield Place in fall 2013. Read More