"As a charitable organization, the RBF wanted to align its real estate to better meet its financial and sustainable goals," says Daniel O. Horowitz, executive managing director of Studley, which served as the RBF's real estate advisor on this transaction, in a release. To that end, the fund is seeking LEED certification for the build-out of its new space. In addition, Horowitz says, "the space provides the RBF with dramatic views of the Hudson River, George Washington Bridge and Riverside Church."

The RBF has been involved in sustainable development issues since the 1980s. In 2005, the fund committed to going carbon neutral. "We look forward to our move to the Interchurch Center," says Stephen B. Heintz, president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund, in a statement. "We now have the wonderful opportunity to build out a green space that is as energy efficient and environmentally sensitive as possible, save money that will go toward grants, and reside in a nonprofit building that houses the community we serve."

The building has historic relevance to the Rockefeller family. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. through the Sealantic Fund, made available the entire block of land upon which the $20-million structure now stands. He also gave $2 million toward the building fund and another $575,000 for the limestone exterior, according to the Interchurch Center.