Rockefeller Group announced that global law firm Latham & Watkins LLP has leased 407,000 s/f at 1271 Avenue of the Americas.
Latham & Watkins will occupy floors 25-34, with anticipated move-in during the second half of 2020. The firm plans to relocate its largest office in the firm from 885 Third Avenue.
The 48-story skyscraper is undergoing extensive renovations designed by the architectural firm Pei Cobb Freed & Partners. The project started in 2016 and is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2019.
Major elements of the renovations include replacement of the building’s glass curtain wall, restoration of the building’s landmarked lobby, installation of new fan-coil units and interior HVAC fans, modernization of the elevators, and reimagining of the building entrances and plazas.
The lease with Latham & Watkins brings the 18-month leasing total at 1271 Avenue of the Americas to more than one million square feet of the 2.1 million square foot tower. Major League Baseball and Mizuho Americas have also signed leases for space in the building.
Approximately 900,000 s/f is available for lease in the tower floors.
“We are pleased to welcome Latham & Watkins to 1271 Avenue of the Americas,” said Ed Guiltinan, Senior Vice President and Head of Leasing in New York for Rockefeller Group.
“Latham & Watkins is a pre-eminent and highly respected global law firm, and they are an outstanding addition to the building’s impressive tenant roster. Rockefeller Group is thrilled that such a prestigious law firm recognized the benefits of being a tenant in 1271 Avenue of the Americas.”
Michèle Penzer, New York Office Managing Partner of Latham & Watkins, said, “Many factors informed our decision to move to 1271, including its central midtown location, architectural significance, and top quality renovations, coupled with the opportunity to design a new office.”
First completed in 1959, 1271 Avenue of the Americas was originally designed by Harrison & Abramovitz & Harris, the architects for all of Rockefeller Center, and built by George A. Fuller Company.
In-building amenities include well-known and established restaurants including Capital Grille, Ted’s Montana Grill and Le Pain Quotidien, as well as direct access to the B, D, F and M subway lines and the shops at Rockefeller Center.
Latham & Watkins was represented by Scott Gamber and Craig Reicher of CBRE. Building ownership was represented by a CBRE team including Mary Ann Tighe, Howard Fiddle, John Maher, Sarah Pontius, Evan Haskell and Dave Caperna, in coordination with an in-house Rockefeller Group leasing team including Ed Guiltinan and Jennifer Stein.
