John Calagna, assistant vice president of public relations for MetLife, tells GlobeSt.com that the company is considering relocating 100 employees from its corporate headquarters at One Madison Ave. to 55,000 sf at 445 Hamilton Ave. That property, recently occupied by Prodigy Inc., is part of the White Plains Plaza office complex owned by MetLife Real Estate.
Calagna also confirmed reports that MetLife is considering leasing space at 27-01 BridgePlaza North, which is owned by Brause Realty. If that deal closes, MetLife would relocate approximately 1,000 workers to the site, which is nearby Queens Plaza and the Queensborough Bridge.
"Long Island City and White Plains are very attractive locations that we are very much focused on at this point," Calagna says. In fact, he reveals that MetLife is in discussions with Brause Realty concerning the Long Island City site and "hope to wrap things up soon." He adds that MetLife could announce the closings on both the White Plains and Long Island City deals "within the next few weeks." Officials with McCarthy O'Callaghan Co., the exclusive leasing agent at White Plains Plaza, could not be reached for comment at press time.
Approximately 100 employees of MetLife's Small Business Center operations are housed in an office across the street at One North Broadway. If the company moves to White Plains, it would invest $6 million in renovations and new equipment over the next two years, according to IDA Chairman William Mulrow.
The relocation from its corporate headquarters building at One Madison Ave., was precipitated by the 1.2 million sf lease deal it signed with Credit Suisse First Boston in January. MetLife will relocate its workforce from there in three phases, beginning this fall. The company will retain its corporate headquarters at One Madison where 500 employees will be housed in 250,000 sf of space. In addition, Calagna says that approximately 650 MetLife employees will be shifted to MetLife-owned properties where the company already has operations in New Jersey, Connecticut and New York.
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John Jordan
John Jordan is a veteran journalist with 36 years of print and digital media experience.
