NEW YORK CITY-Hines said Tuesday it been retained as property manager for the 2.3-million-square-foot 1251 Ave. of the Americas by building owner Mitsui Fudosan America Inc. The 54-story office tower on the western edge of Rockefeller Center is currently more than 99% leased.

Tommy Craig, Hines SVP, says in a release that the management contract will “ build on our relationship with Mitsui Fudosan, as well as expand our presence in Manhattan with this high-profile assignment.” A spokeswoman for Hines tells GlobeSt.com that the “strong” relationship between her company and Mitsui Fudosan has been in place since 1986, when Mitsui contracted with Hines to serve as development manager for the 52-story, 1.1-million-square-foot Figueroa at Wilshire office tower in downtown Los Angeles.

“The project opened in 1990 at 90% leased, and that was in a soft leasing market,” says the Hines spokeswoman. Hines continued on as property and leasing manager, maintaining the tower’s 95% occupancy throughout the 1990s.

When Mitsui decided to exit its California holdings in 1999, Hines bought both: the 505 Montgomery building in San Francisco in January of that year, and the Figueroa at Wilshire building in September ‘99. Previously, Hines in 1992 had taken over the management and leasing of another one of Mitsui’s downtown L.A. properties, then known as the AT&T Center, and then helped arrange the 1997 sale of the property.

While the 1251 Sixth Ave. assignment represents the first New York City fruition of the Hines/Mitsui relationship, Hines is hardly a newcomer to this market. Among other properties, Hines developed the Lipstick Building at 885 Third Ave. as well as an 11-story multifamily property known as One Jackson Square in Greenwich Village. The company also has acquired three office assets here, including 499 Park Ave. and the 1.2-million-square-foot 140 Broadway. With the 1251 Sixth assignment, Hines now manages 12.9 million square feet of office space in the tri-state area.

Mitsui bought 1251 Sixth in 1986; the property had been developed in 1972 by the Rockefeller Group and Exxon Corp. for use as Exxon’s global headquarters. Its current tenant roster includes the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi-UFJ, Consulate General of Canada, DLA Piper, Merrill Lynch; Mizuho Corporate Bank, Natixis Bank, Rothschild Inc., Sandler O’Neill, Trust Company of the West and UBS AG.