Hawthorne Country Day School Takes 35K SF at The Woolworth Building
By Nicholas Rizzi November 28, 2023 4:29 pm
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A school focused on serving children on the autism spectrum took 34,076 square feet in the Woolworth Building, Commercial Observer has learned.
Hawthorne Country Day School signed a 15-year lease for the entire fourth floor of the famed building at 233 Broadway, according to tenant broker Newmark (NMRK). Asking rent was $49 per square foot.
Hawthorne was previously located nearby at 156 William Street and has already moved into its new space in the Woolworth Building, which includes a dedicated ground-floor entrance for the school, Newmark said.
Its new campus includes classrooms, therapy rooms, a multipurpose room and a sensory gym. The new site has more space than its 156 William location to allow Hawthorne to add a high school.
“We have been working hand in hand with Hawthorne to accommodate its growth needs, including adding the new high school to its portfolio while strategically maintaining flexibility by managing its current obligations proactively,” Newmark’s Todd Hershman, who represented Hawthorne with Howard Kesseler and Alex Kesseler, said in a statement. “After a detailed vetting and searching process, where several submarkets were contemplated, this transaction in a landmark world-renowned building with a dedicated entrance will allow Hawthorne to drastically increase and enhance its programming offerings for students and provide essential support for families.”
The 58-story Woolworth Building was commissioned by retailer Frank W. Woolworth and finished in 1910, becoming the largest building in the world for several years, as CO previously reported. Its ornate touches, Gothic enhancements and ties to the dime-store fortune earned it the nickname “the cathedral of commerce.”
Witkoff Group and Cammeby’s International own the lower portion of the property — dedicated to offices — and sold the upper level to Alchemy Properties in 2012, which turned that into condominiums in 2018.
David Ofman of The Lawrence Group and Corcoran Group’s Josef Yadgarov represented the owners in the deal. Neither immediately responded to requests for comment.
Nicholas Rizzi can be reached at nrizzi@commercialobserver.com.
