The Plan: 1540 Broadway’s New Amenity Spaces Highlight Wellness and Calm

Times Square is arguably the prime example of the hustle and bustle that defines New York City. It’s loud and it’s stressful, two things you don’t need to experience on your way to work. But thanks to the new amenity space coming to the office building at 1540 Broadway, tenants’ employees will have a place all their own to unwind and decompress amid all that chaos. 

1540 Broadway was built between 1988 and 1990 and designed by Skidmore Owings & Merrill. Landlord GFP Real Estate, alongside BDT & MSD Partners, has invested $150 million to reintroduce the Times Square office tower, which has its main entrance on West 45th Street only four blocks west of Grand Central Terminal. 

“1540 is one of the most modern office buildings in New York City, and when we knew we were taking over the building at the end of last year, we wanted to reintroduce it and add amenities at the same level of the actual building itself,” said Brian Steinwurtzel, co-CEO and principal of GFP Real Estate. “The amenities are extremely robust. It is some of the highest level of hospitality-esque amenities for an office building in New York City.” 

The building managers hired architect and design firm Fogarty Finger to redevelop the amenity spaces, which will span 45,000 square feet across the eighth and 36th floors. Wellness is a key theme throughout the building’s amenity program. 

Perks include a new fitness center with a dedicated recovery and movement zone, as well as spaces for socializing and collaboration, including a cozy lounge area and a conference space. There will also be a golf simulator, a bar and restaurant, and a landscaped rooftop terrace for tenants to enjoy. 

“We had a long conversation with GFP when we started designing,” said Maria Candelaria Ryberg, an architectural designer at Fogarty Finger. “We were thinking about what tenants want, but also discussing what makes tenants stay. We created spaces that are not only intended to be seen in photographs and nice marketing materials, but also really make tenants want to stay and use it longer.”

Ryberg said Fogarty approached the idea of wellness from more than just a programming perspective, wanting to develop spaces that use warm tones, soft lighting, and natural materials such as wood and stone to create places where employees can come and exhale. 

“We are in Times Square, which already has a lot going on, but the moment you step into the amenities space you can slow down, you can relax, and you can feel comfortable,” she said. “This is wellness, not just related to the program itself, but it’s an added wellness in the architecture.”

The fully redeveloped amenities space is expected to be delivered by the end of this year, Steinwurtzel said. 

“When we take care of our tenants’ employees and their clients, the tenants tend to flock to our products,” he said. “Our goal is to find ways that each of those employees can enjoy the building more, thereby spend more time at the building, and thereby make their employer — our customer — more successful.”

Amanda Schiavo can be reached at aschiavo@commercialobserver.com.