Department of Defense Inks 24K-SF Deal at Former Long Island HQ of 1-800-Flowers

The U.S. Department of Defense is opening a new regional office in the Long Island hamlet of Carle Place, N.Y.

The department, which is seeking approval this year from Congress to rebrand as the Department of War, signed its new lease at 1 Old Country Road in Nassau County. The five-story office building recently served as the headquarters of 1-800-Flowers. The online floral and gift retailer departed the repositioned office building for Jericho, N.Y., in 2020. 

The Defense Department’s 23,600-square-foot lease was signed for a 10-year term with landlord DBD Realty Group. The latter was represented in the negotiations by Kelly Koukou of Lee & Associates NYC, while CBRE’s Ralph Guiffre, Vince Lamatta and Richard Freel represented the tenant.

The 320,000-square-foot office building recently underwent a $22 million repositioning, including a new facade, windows, lobby and upgraded infrastructure. Its newly constructed parking deck also offers capacity for 1,600 vehicles.

“The Department of War’s commitment further validates the extensive repositioning of the building and reflects the continued momentum we’re seeing as the property fills following its post-pandemic leasing surge,” Koukou said in a statement. 

The department is expected to take occupancy early next year following an extensive buildout of its future space.

Another government tenant, the Federal Aviation Administration, occupies just over 74,000 square feet across the fifth and fourth stories of the building, where it arrived for a 15-year term in 2023.  

Spokespeople for the department, DBD and CBRE did not immediately respond to requests for comment. 

Emily Davis can be reached at edavis@commercialobserver.com.