Nonprofit, Engineering Consultancy Ink Deals at GFP’s 630 Ninth Avenue

Nonprofit Encore Community Services and M. Chetrit Consulting Engineers PC have inked deals at GFP Real Estate’s 630 Ninth Avenue, also known as the Film Center Building.

In the largest deal, Encore signed a six-year lease for 5,521 square feet on the ninth floor of the 13-story Hell’s Kitchen building, GFP said. Encore, which provides supportive services to older adults in the city, planned to move to the new location after relocating from its previous spot at 220 West 49th Street.

“We are thrilled to have moved into the new space at 630 Ninth Avenue,” Jeremy Kaplan, executive director at Encore, said in a statement. “The new space will help Encore improve the quality of work-life for our employees and, most importantly, has enabled Encore to continue to grow our life-saving services for older New Yorkers.”

GFP’s Matthew Mandell, who represented the landlord in the deal, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

“Encore wanted a vibrant workspace as their staff returned to the office more regularly, and, combined with its excellent location, [630 Ninth Avenue] offers a strong improvement from their previous space,” Avison Young’s Nicola Heryet, who brokered the deal for Encore, said in a statement to Commercial Observer.

Next up, M. Chetrit, who moved into the building in 2015, secured a renewal for its 1,200-square-foot office on the fourth floor, GFP said. Mandell represented both the landlord and the tenant in that deal.

GFP declined to provide the length of M. Chetrit’s renewal, only saying it was “long-term,” or the asking rents for the leases. A Newmark report found office rents in Midtown averaged $79.55 per square foot during the second quarter of 2024.

The 275,000-square-foot Film Center Building, built in 1929, once only catered to businesses involved in film, theater and music, but it has since expanded to welcome other types of companies, according to GFP’s website. The property underwent renovations in 2017, when 25,000 square feet of empty film storage vaults were converted into office space.

Other tenants of the building include Zoic Studios and The Accomplished Traveler, which signed leases for 3,352 square feet and 1,982 square feet of office space, respectively, in August 2023, CO previously reported.

Professional Artists Agency also extended its 1,858-square-foot lease on the second floor of the building last year, while Big League Productions renewed its 1,200-square-foot office on the 12th floor in October 2022.

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