44 Wall St., pre-built space/ Photo credit: Kevin Chu and Jessica Paul Photography

NEW YORK CITY—Giant Spoon scooped up 17,024 square feet, in Lower Manhattan's Financial District. The advertising firm signed a lease with EQ Office, a portfolio company owned by Blackstone's real estate funds, to occupy the entire third floor in the 24-story tower at 44 Wall St. The parties declined to provide the length of the lease. But a source with knowledge of the deal says the asking rents in the building are in the high $50s and mid-$60s per square foot.

The ad agency is relocating from 176 Grand St., between Baxter and Mulberry streets, following EQ Office's buildout of the space. The move date is expected to occur in early 2019.

44 Wall St./ Credit: Kevin Chu and Jessica Paul Photography

Blackstone purchased 44 Wall St. in June 2016, for the rumored amount of $100 million, according to Real Capital Analytics. EQ Office is in the final stages of modernizing and repositioning the 350,000 square-foot office tower that was originally constructed in 1927.

In addition to creating multiple pre-built floors, EQ Office modernized the lobby, adding artwork by New York City street artist Hellbent. This landed them a spot on Architectural Digest's list of “The 12 New York City Office Buildings with the Most Incredible Artwork.”

One of Giant Spoon's imaginative and splashy projects at the SXSW conference was their promotion of the HBO series “Westworld.” The marketing agency recreated the show's town Sweetwater across two acres, filled with actors of the robotic characters, allowing visitors to live out their own highly immersive experiences. The advertising company has also created campaigns for well-known brands such as Uber, HP and Cole Haan.

Trevor Guthrie, co-founder of Giant Spoon, says they were looking for an office that would complement their culture. “44 Wall is providing us with a blank canvas so we can build the ideal environment for our team and the next great idea for our client partners,” he says.

“Upon touring 44 Wall, Giant Spoon was immediately drawn to the tower's contemporary feel, as well as the efficient layout, high-end finishes, and inspiring design of the floors we have prebuilt for other tenants,” say Scott Silverstein of EQ Office.

Other building tenants include GameChanger, a tech company that produces a leading digital scorekeeping app; advertising company Joan Creative; JobDiva, a recruiting software firm; and Funny Or Die, the online comedy brand founded by Will Ferrell, Adam Kay and Chris Henchy.

In the most recently signed lease, in addition to Silverstein, CBRE's Adam Foster, Michael Rizzo, Zachary Price and Caroline Merck represented Equity Office. Brian Cohen and Corey Borg of Newmark Knight Frank represented Giant Spoon.

Instant Insights /

Giant Spoon Leases a Full Floor at 44 Wall St.

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