NEW YORK CITY – Berko & Associates has brokered the $24 million sale of 809 Broadway, the former Blatt Billiards loft building south of Union Square in New York City, to IDM Capital. The new owner plans to build a 15-story commercial/residential tower on the site. In May 2013, Blatt Billiards, represented by its principals Ronald Blatt and Bruce Roeder, inked a deal to sell the 23,152-square-foot building between 11th and 12th streets. The building also includes an additional 7,045 square feet of air rights. Joe Berko of Berko & Associates represented both the seller and the buyer in the transaction. IDM Capital has hired ODA Architecture to design the planned building. Blatt Billiards, a pool table manufacturer, had owned the 126-year-old building since 1972 and was a tenant at the location before then.
Northeast
COTUIT, MASS. – Margulies Perruzzi Architects has provided retail design services for Eastern Bank’s newest branch location in Cotuit, a city located in southern Massachusetts. The 2,100-square-foot branch serves as a new model for interactive technology for Eastern Bank. The layout for the Cotuit location updates the traditional teller counter, opting instead for multiple kiosk type stations on the branch floor. The kiosks are staffed with employees who can assist customers with all their banking needs or direct them to a virtual expert in a private room for more information on a banking product or service. An interactive table with a touch-screen keyboard is available to customers who want to independently complete a transaction. A community wall with multiple touch screens offers alternate access points to information on banking products, tips for setting up banking apps, local news feeds, and video games like “Design a Dollar” for children accompanying their parents to the bank. The project team included general contractor Development Concepts Inc., exhibit designers Main Street Design Inc., multimedia designers Boston Productions Inc. and MEP consultants BLW Engineers.
NEW YORK CITY – Prince Realty Advisors has arranged the acquisition of a 49.5 percent, non-controlling interest in a 55,565-square-foot retail condominium at 510 Sixth Ave. in New York City, valued at just under $68 million, for Madison International Realty. David Ash of Prince Realty Advisors arranged the purchase for the buyer and worked with the seller, Ark Partners, in the transaction. Located on corridor between 13th and 14th streets, 510 Sixth Ave. is at the cusp of the West Village and Chelsea and close to the High Line and Union Square. Current tenants at the property include Urban Outfitters, Chipotle and LensCrafters.
KING OF PRUSSIA, PA. — On behalf of Equus Capital Partners, Jones Lang LaSalle’s (JLL) capital markets team has sold 1000 Continental, a Class A office building located in King of Prussia, a Philadelphia suburb. KBS Capital Advisors LLC purchased the property for $63 million, or $307 per square foot. The 205,424-square-foot office building was 99 percent occupied at the time of sale. It features floor-to-ceiling window lines, a two-story entrance lobby and is LEED Silver certified. Jim Vesey, Doug Rodio, Jim Galbally and John Plower led the JLL team in the transaction.
NEW YORK CITY – A $15 million capital improvement plan is underway for 211 East 43rd St., a 210,000-square-foot office property located in Manhattan’s Midtown East neighborhood. The plan includes updating the building’s common areas and strategically attracting new media and tech firms. Meadow Partners, a real estate investor and asset manager with offices in New York City and London, acquired 211 East 43rd St. in March 2013. The company plans to bring it to a standard that is comparable to other Class A buildings in the Midtown East neighborhood. In addition, William Cohen and David Emden of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank were retained as the leasing agents for the property. Starting in 2013, Cohen began executing a new leasing strategy for the property and secured seven transactions totaling nearly 60,000 square feet. New tenants include AWS Construction, Caliber Associates, the Costa Rican Mission to the United Nations, Reger Designs Inc., Rennert International, the Republic of Mauritius Mission to the United Nations and Set Physical Therapy.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The Hampshire Cos. has sold a 135,498-square-foot industrial building located at 25 East Union Ave. in East Rutherford. Spanning nearly five acres, the industrial building features amenities such as 18-foot clear ceiling heights, four grade-level overhead doors, a mezzanine office area and three dock doors. The single-story industrial building is 98 percent leased to Mount Pleasant Ice Cream Co., Selco Associates and Steamaster Co. Inc. CBRE represented The Hampshire Cos. in the transaction.
HOBOKEN, N.J. — NorthMarq Capital has arranged $17 million in refinancing for Church Square South, two affordable-housing properties totaling 81 units in Hoboken. Gary Cohen, senior vice president/senior director of NorthMarq Capital’s New Jersey office arranged the 12-year loan, which includes a 30-year amortization schedule, through a local bank.
BELLEVILLE, N.J. – A joint venture between Black Oak Associates and MCB Real Estate has acquired a 54,000-square-foot, grocery-anchored shopping center in Belleville for $10.5 million. The property was purchased from Mount Kellett Capital Management LP, owner of A&P grocery, and was structured as a sale-leaseback transaction. The shopping center is anchored by Pathmark, one of A&P’s grocery store banners, and is located about 10 miles west of New York City.
NEW YORK CITY – Savanna, a New York-based real estate private equity and asset management firm, has purchased the 20,676-square-foot retail condominium at 10 Madison Square W. in New York City from The Witkoff Group and Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing. The retail space, part of a 16-story building that The Witkoff Group and Morgan Stanley Real Estate Investing are currently redeveloping into 125 luxury residential condominiums, includes approximately 12,000 square feet of ground-floor space and 4,800 square feet of basement space. Adam Spies and Douglas Harmon of Eastdil Secured represented the seller in the transaction. Laurie Grasso of Hunton & Williams served as Savanna’s counsel in the acquisition. Located on the northwest corner of West 24th Street and Broadway, 10 Madison Square W. overlooks Madison Square Park. Amy Zhen and Jeffrey Roseman of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank will represent Savanna in its leasing effort.
NEW YORK CITY — Gourmet Garage, an upscale market with five Manhattan locations, has signed a lease for approximately 10,000 square feet at Collect Pond House, a co-op building located at 366 Broadway. Gourmet Garage, which was represented by Chase Welles of The Shopping Center Group and Jonathan Clott of Vision Property Group LLC, will occupy approximately 6,435 square feet of ground-floor space, as well as 3,510 square feet in the lower level. An additional 910 square feet in the mezzanine will be used for seating. The storefront is located at the base of the building and features 20-foot ceilings, as well as 180 feet of wraparound corner frontage. Darrell Rubens, executive vice president, and Lee Block, broker at Winick Realty Group, represented the co-op board at Collect Pond House.