The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC), has approved RFR’s plans for 281 Park Avenue South, the company announced. The six-story, 45,000-square-foot landmark building, formerly known as the Church Mission House, is located at the southeast corner of Park Avenue South and 22nd Street, in close proximity to Union Square, Madison Square Park and the Flatiron district.
The building will be renovated in accordance with the new plans, which provide for modification of the storefronts, expansion of retail space onto the second floor, and creation of a new building lobby and entrance on 22nd Street that RFR is offering as a dedicated entry for a single office tenant or headquarters building. Renderings of the modified exterior have also been released.
“Our plan for 281 Park Avenue South will reinforce the building’s incredible architectural heritage, while permitting us to enhance its appeal to modern office and retail tenants,” said Aby Rosen, Co-Founder and Principal of RFR. “We are fortunate to be in a position to offer this tremendous opportunity for a single user in need of both high visibility flagship retail space and grand headquarters office space, within one stunning, architecturally unique building in one of New York’s hottest neighborhoods. Our view is that 281 Park Avenue South should work well for a wide variety of single users, including creative, digital, media, fashion, financial, non-profits, and foundations. While the single user scenario is ideal, given the special identity this building can provide, we will also consider different users for the office and retail portions in appropriate circumstances.”
Office floor plates in the building are roughly 6,700 rentable square feet, which in combination with the corner location and ceiling heights of up to 20 feet, will offer significant flexibility in layout and design. Architectural details include a copper and terra-cotta roof, marble mosaic flooring, stained glass windows, wood wainscoting and plaster ornamentation. There is also an opportunity to create a roof terrace.
The two-level retail space offers an excellent branding opportunity, with stellar street-level exposure through very large storefronts and 150 feet of street frontage (80 feet on Park Avenue South and 70 feet on 22nd Street).
