JLL announced that Arcade Songs, the independent music publisher headed by multi-platinum, Grammy Award nominated songwriter and producer, Gregg Wattenberg, will relocate to the newly-developed 60 Charlton St. boutique office building in New York City’s Hudson Square neighborhood.
The full-service recording and writing studio that works with artists including John Legend, Dean Lewis, Noah Kahan, Goo Goo Dolls, Anitta, Enrique Iglesias, KYGO, Train and Dove Cameron, has signed a 12-year lease for 18,970 square feet across the entire second and fourth floors of the jewel-box, 12-story building owned by AEW Capital Management in a joint venture with APF Properties and Drake Street Partners.
Arcade Songs will relocate from 587 5th Ave. to occupy the spectacular contiguous space that was created as part of a redevelopment of the property that removed the third floor to create a double-height space with 22.5 ft. ceilings on the second floor. The space will house Arcade’s state-of-the-art recording studios, with their executive offices on the floor above.
“We are honored to welcome such an accomplished songwriter and producer to 60 Charlton,” Mike Byrne, chief investment officer at AEW Capital Management. “Arcade Songs’ new offices will provide an ideal environment to continue to identify and nurture new talent in a neighborhood that pulses with the vibrancy of all that New York City has to offer.”
A JLL team that includes vice chairman Mitchell Konsker, executive managing director Benjamin Bass, senior vice presidents Kristen Morgan and Carlee Palmer, and associate vice president Harrison Potter, exclusively represent the 60 Charlton ownership group. Arcade Songs was represented by CBRE senior vice president Alex D’Amario, and first vice president Gary Davies. Asking rents on the floors Arcade leased were in the $90s psf.
“Arcade Songs plans to create a destination ‘Artist House’, bringing together the writers, producers, and artist communities of New York City,” said D’Amario of CBRE.
Located on the southwest corner of Charlton and Varick streets, 60 Charlton St. is a 98,400 square foot, Class A boutique office building situated between Disney’s 1.2 million square foot office campus currently under construction at 137 Varick Street and Google’s new 1.3 million square foot headquarters at St. John’s Terminal.
Ownership undertook a multi-million-dollar redevelopment of the property that restored the original architectural details, rehabilitated the building with modern mechanical infrastructure and added six newly-constructed stories to create a 12-story brick and glass curtainwall, steel and concrete-framed building with floorplates ranging from 9,000 – 6,500 square feet. The property is LEED Gold certified.
Tenant amenities include a boutique-hotel style lobby with a fireplace and seating area, a bike room and shower area, and an outdoor roof deck with kitchen service area. Additionally, ownership just completed two full-floor prebuilds, helping tenants in today’s market focused on flexible move-in ready space that can be operational right away.
“The redeveloped 60 Charlton offers tenants an environment that injects creativity into the daily work routine,” said Konsker. “With best-in-class amenities and modern infrastructure, Arcade Songs can seamlessly connect with clients and collaborators while tapping into the collective vibrancy of the Greenwich Village, SoHo and Tribeca neighborhoods.”
“After seeing dozens of spaces in Manhattan, 60 Charlton stood out from all of the others with its nearly 30’ ceilings and incredible roof terrace. Ownership was very accommodating throughout the process and did everything they could to make this experience a pleasant one.”
The transaction with Arcade Songs follows a lease with international early-stage tech investor, Picus Capital, which signed a ten-year lease for the 6,520-square-foot penthouse at 60 Charlton in 2022. That 12th floor space features floor-to-ceiling glass, ceiling heights of over 15 feet, and a private terrace.
Situated at the nexus of SoHo, TriBeCa and the West Village, 60 Charlton is a short walk from three different subway lines, the PATH train to New Jersey, 10 minutes from Penn Station and 19 minutes from Grand Central Terminal.
