Bloomsbury Publishing Takes 24K-SF Office at ESRT’s 1359 Broadway

The publishing house of the popular Harry Potter book series is moving its offices to Empire State Realty Trust’s 1359 Broadway.

Bloomsbury Publishing signed a lease for a new, 24,209-square-foot office at the 22-story Midtown tower at the corner of Broadway and West 36th Street, according to the landlord.

London-based Bloomsbury hasn’t strayed far, as its current U.S. offices are one block up the street at 1385 Broadway, according to its website.

“As a previous tenant of 1400 Broadway, I cannot wait to be back in an ESRT building with Bloomsbury Publishing,” Sabrina McCarthy, president of Bloomsbury U.S., said in a statement. “ESRT was an incredible partner for my previous employer [Ingram Publisher Services], and I am beyond thrilled that they found Bloomsbury a location that offers a modern look and feel, excellent building security, lots of sunlight, and a space built for our needs.”

The length of the lease and asking rent were unclear, but a report from Newmark found office rents in Midtown averaged $80.50 per square foot during the third quarter of 2024.

Cushman & Wakefield (CWK)’s Stephen Bellwood and Rachel Rosenfeld brokered the deal for the tenant, while ESRT’s Jordan Berger and CBRE (CBRE)’s Paul Amrich, Neil King, Emily Chabrier, Meghan Allen and Kelly Tipton represented the landlord.

Spokespeople for C&W and CBRE declined to comment, while a spokesperson for Bloomsbury did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Bloomsbury publishes adult and children’s books with a mission to “inform, educate, entertain and inspire readers of all ages and backgrounds,” according to its website.

Thomas Durels, executive vice president of leasing at ESRT, said Bloomsbury is “a welcome addition to the excellent tenant roster at 1359 Broadway,” which includes retail tenants such as Panera Bread and Playa Bowls and office tenants such as green energy project developer BMR Energy and nonprofit Claims Conference.

In addition to signing a new tenant at 1359 Broadway, ESRT has been busy lately with a string of retail purchases in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.

In the past month, ESRT has bought $143 million worth of properties as part of its previously announced $195 million acquisition of prime retail space along Williamsburg’s North Sixth Street, as Commercial Observer previously reported. And the real estate investment trust has its sights on even more deals in the neighborhood, with plans to buy another North Sixth Street building for $30 million next year.

Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.