Law Firm Hecker Fink Expands to 54K SF at Empire State Building

Hecker Fink is continuing to lawyer up and will double its footprint in the Empire State Building.

The law firm took an additional 26,782 square feet in the Empire State Realty Trust’s (ESRT) iconic building, bringing its total to 53,779 square feet across two floors, according to ESRT.  

And the firm — which moved into the property in 2019 — needed the space as it recently added lawyers to its headcount.

ESRT did not immediately disclose whether a renewal was baked into the deal or what the current term of the lease is. Asking rent in the Art Deco tower was $88 per square foot as recently as June.

“Many tenants grow with us so they and their employees benefit from our portfolio’s convenient location, amenities, and modernized buildings,” Thomas Durels, executive vice president of real estate at ESRT, said in a statement. “In fact, we have signed 293 expansion leases with existing tenants, for a total of 2.8 million square feet since our [initial public offering].”

Ira Schuman and Stephan Steiner of Savills handled the deal on behalf of the tenant while ESRT’s Shanae Ursini and Kerry Lavelle along with Scott Klau, Erik Harris and Neil Rubin of Newmark (NMRK) negotiated on behalf of the landlord. Spokespeople for Savills and Newmark did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Other recent deals in the landmark building include management consulting firm Kearney signing on for 27,866 square feet in June, financial advisory firm Pontera Solutions taking 40,679 square feet in May, and Greater New York Mutual Insurance committing to 52,116 square feet in January.

Mark Hallum can be reached at mhallum@commercialobserver.com.