CallisonRTKL Moves into the Woolworth Building
The design consultancy firm signed a 10-year lease for the entire 16th floor of the iconic tower.
NEW YORK CITY—Design firm CallisonRTKL has signed a 10-year lease to occupy 28,096 square feet of office space in the Woolworth Building, located at 233 Broadway. The tenant will take up the entire 16th floor of the 60-story, 935,000 square-foot building.
A source close to the transaction tells GlobeSt.com the asking rent was in the high $50s and that CallisonRTKL will move in on Oct. 1, 2018.
Remaining downtown, the company will relocate from 148 Lafayette St., between Grand and Howard streets in the SoHo district.
JLL’s vice chairman Mitchell Konsker and managing director David Dusek represented CallisonRTKL. Barry Pincus, co-chairman of REalta, and Brian Siegel, senior managing director with The Lawrence Group represented the Witkoff Group.
“CallisonRTKL was seeking more efficient space with a flexible lease and the opportunity to grow,” says Dusek. “The Woolworth Building offered a full floor of highly efficient space with abundant light and air, high ceilings and extraordinary views overlooking the Brooklyn Bridge.”
“As a global design practice that has been in New York for approximately 10 years, we require a workplace that reflects our culture and accommodates our creative process,” says Susan Soehnlen, a vice president of CallisonRTKL. She notes that moving from two floors from its prior location to a single floor would boost efficiency and collaboration. Soehnlen also points to the building’s history as a particular selling point for her company.
Architect Cass Gilbert designed and completed the building in 1912 to be the corporate headquarters of the F.W. Woolworth Company. The Witkofff Group and Cammeby’s International acquired the landmark building in 1998. In 2012, Alchemy Properties for $68 million bought the tower portion of the Woolworth Building having the address of 2 Park Place, and developed luxury condominiums. This includes the 9,710 square-foot penthouse called the Pinnacle. Last year the apartment’s price tag of $110 million was widely reported for setting a record in downtown residential units’ asking prices.