Event Firm Takes Space in Former Walgreens on Astoria’s Crescent Street

Event firm United Universal Management is moving into space formerly occupied by Walgreens in Astoria, Queens, Commercial Observer has learned.

United Universal signed a six-year lease for 7,600 square feet at 33-55 and 33-67 Crescent Street, according to tenant broker Helmsley Spear. Asking rent was $40 per square foot.

The property on the corner of Crescent Street and 34th Avenue is owned by Gina Argento, president and CEO of film and television production company Broadway Stages, according to city records. The landlord was represented by the law office of John Ciafone, Helmsley Spear said.

“I am proud to represent United Universal Management in this lease in an excellent New York City location,” Helmsley Spear’s Showket Ahamed, who brokered the deal for the tenant, said in a statement. “This building will enable the company to provide a first-class private event space and be a vital part of the [Queens] community in the years to come.”

A spokesperson for Broadway Stages did not immediately respond to a request for comment, while a spokesperson for United Universal could not be reached for comment.

United Universal will use the space, formerly a Walgreens, for its United Universal Party Hall, according to Helmsley Spear.

The new deal comes as many developers are trying their hand at residential and mixed-use projects in Astoria, such as Cipico Construction’s plans to knock down a warehouse at 32-01 Vernon Boulevard to make way for three mixed-use buildings.

There’s also Goose Property Management’s construction of adjacent multifamily properties at The Northern I and The Northern II in Astoria, which comprise 64 and 129 units, respectively.

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