The Mandell School has signed a long-term lease for 10,000 square feet at The Archive at 154 Christopher Street in the West Village, it was announced today. Asking rents for the space were not disclosed.
The West Village location, home to Mandell’s third preschool, will open in September 2013 and hold classes for two- to four-year olds. A Lincoln Center preschool opened in September 2012, joining The Mandell School’s original location on the Upper West Side.
The Archive, a 10-story luxury residential building owned by Rockrose, is reminiscent of Mandell’s Upper West Side location, according to Lindsay Ornstein, principal at Transwestern, who represented the tenant in the transaction. “The building is magnificent with large, arched windows and lot of pre-war character,” Ms. Ornstein said.
The Mandell School spent over a year looking for a downtown location, according to Ms. Ornstein. The school was close to making a deal for space on Broad Street but damage caused Superstorm Sandy, among other factors, forced The Mandell School to rethink the location.
“They rethought the location and decided make the move to the Village,” Ms. Ornstein told The Commercial Observer.
“Because of Transwestern’s long-standing relationship with Mandell and its deep industry knowledge and connections, they were able to find us the perfect first downtown home for Mandell with ease,” Gabriella Rowe, head of The Mandell School, said in a statement.
The Mandell School will be able to reuse most of the space’s current installation and will not require an extensive build out, Ms. Ornstein added.
Ms. Ornstein and Stu Morden and Lucas Kooyman of Newmark (NMRK) Grubb Knight Frank represented The Mandell School in the transaction. The NGKF team also represented the landlord, along with Patricia Dunphy of Rockrose.
