Sephora has just signed a lease for 4,500 feet of the newly redeveloped Meatpacking District site at 21-27 Ninth Avenue on the southwest corner of 13th Street.
It was just over a year ago that Post colleague Steve Cuozzo broke the news that Aurora Capital Associates, led by Bobby Cayre and Alex Adjmi, had obtained control of the four, three-story structures through a 49-year leasehold.
“We received a ton of interest from many of the world’s top performing brands,” said Jared Epstein, vice president of Aurora who worked the deal for the ownership.
The asking rent for the ground floor space was over $400 per foot.
Ginny Pittarelli and Christopher DeCrosta of Madison Retail Group represented Sephora.
According to Epstein, Sephora will be opening a unique boutique version of their store with plans on operating into the evening to capitalize on the newly numerous late-night shoppers.
Last month, the building was the subject of an artistic ripoff when Anne Hathaway’s boyfriend, Adam Shulman, stole a piece of the property’s construction shed, which had received an artistic treatment by renowned street artist Mr. Brainwash. A Post spy caught them redhanded and a few days after their photos and the story were published, Shulman and his buds returned the artwork.
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A $65 million senior mortgage on 1414 Ave. of the Americas is now on the market through Eastdil Secured. The 138,000-foot building is owned by Norman Sturner‘s Murray Hill Properties, who, as we first told you last year, has a deal with Ian Schrager to turn it into a “six star hotel.”
Market spies said the payments are current but the loan comes due in November.
Bids are due Tuesday to Douglas Harmon and Adam Spies of Eastdil Secured, who are selling the mortgage for Bank of America. Market speak has it going for $50 million. Calls to Eastdil went unreturned while Sturner declined comment.
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Brokers for two retail “malls” won the coveted Real Estate Board of New York’s 2009 Retail Deal of the Year Awards last night.
Robert K. Futterman of Robert K. Futterman & Associates took home the Most Creative Retail Deal of the Year Award for the Times Square Building: The Only Entertainment Destination of Its Kind. How Leases with Discovery TSX and Bowlmor Lanes Made it Happen.
The original 181,000 square feet set aside for retail in the base of the building encompassed the subterranean former printing press area for the New York Times and the ground through second floors. Due to demand, this was eventually expanded to 254,736 feet by including the third and fourth floors. The upper stories of the building at 229 W. 43rd St. will soon house a hotel and residential condominiums.
Peter Ripka of Ripco Real Estate Corporation won the award for the retail deal that Most Significantly Benefits Manhattan for The Leasing Journey of East River Plaza. The 475,000-foot mall, developed by Forest City and Blumenfeld Development, was created on the six-acre site of the former dilapidated Washburn Wire Factory along the FDR Drive in Harlem. It now contains Manhattan’s first Costco Wholesale Club, along with Target and PetSmart. The development will generate $10.9 million in sales tax revenue for New York City and $10.8 million in sales tax revenue for New York State.
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It looks like the Daily News may be moving from the far west Hudson Yards at 450 W. 33rd St. to far south downtown. Real Estate Weekly says Mort Zuckerman‘s downsizing daily is cutting a cheap deal for around 100,000 feet at 4 New York Plaza on the second and fourth floors. Our sources report that if the deal is completed, the Harbor Group International owners would be getting a mere $25 a foot for the space — but only after two years of free rent.
Michael Burgio of Cushman & Wakefield represents the “Snooze” and the company declined comment.
We also now hear that David Pecker‘s American Media, now headquartered in Boca Raton with city digs of 43,881 feet at One Park Ave., is also pecking at two of the remaining floors at 4 New York Plaza led by the CB Richard Ellis team of Robert Stillman and Alan Desino.
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Ford Models is adding a beautiful, 11,239-foot space on the top three floors of 57 W. 57th Street — each of which has a wraparound terrace. The building, on the northeast corner of Sixth Avenue, has gold detailing while some terraces have views of Central Park.
Michael Thomas and David Liberston of Col liers International han dled the model agen cy’s search while Christel Engel, also of Colliers, worked the deal for the own ership, which is a partnership of Colliers execs. The asking rent was $65 a foot.