NEW YORK CITY—HNTB Corp., an infrastructure solutions firm, is moving its New York City operation into the Empire State Building, where the firm will occupy three contiguous floors of the structure. The move will take place in September 2015.
Colliers International's Mark Friedman and Tyler Owens in New York, and Sven Sykesin Kansas City, represented the tenant. Newmark Grubb Knight Frank's William Cohen, Jonathan Tootell and Shanae Ursini represented the landlord, Empire State Realty Trust.
“We selected the Empire State Building as our new home for a number of reasons, including that its enduring and powerful presence reflects the nature of HNTB's commitment to New York City,” says Mike Sweeney, New York City metro district leader and SVP.
“HNTB has had a continuous presence in Manhattan since 1922, when it opened an office on Liberty Street in the heart of the financial district. In 2022, we'll have the opportunity to celebrate a century of service of shaping transportation infrastructure in the region from this very special location.”
According to Sweeney, among the other reasons behind this move are HNTB's ongoing commitment to the New York community, plans to add new employees in the firm's New York City office location, which will now be possible with the expanded space, and support from New York state.
“We have substantially grown the team based at our current location to approximately 200 people as of today, and as a result of the relocation into the Empire State Building we will add as many as 120 additional professional positions in New York City over the next few years. HNTB's team of multidisciplinary infrastructure experts is committed to meeting the needs of our transportation network today, and into the future.”
HNTB's new office space will encompass more than 78,000 square feet on the 56th, 57th and 58th floors of the Empire State Building, an increase of 67% over the 47,000 square feet occupied by the firm at its current 5 Penn Plaza location. “Once we move in, we'll look out our windows with pride as we survey the cityscape of bridges, roads, tunnels, airports and rails that our firm has touched in ways large and small.”
Adds Steve McElligott, HNTB Northeast Division president, “The New York City office is the largest among the more than 60 HNTB offices throughout the country, and continues to experience tremendous success and growth. The New York City area and the entire northeastern United States are home to some of the most innovative and exciting transportation infrastructure programs in the nation. HNTB is proud of its relationships with many of the region's transportation agencies and the significant role we are playing together enhancing mobility in this region.”
Of the many reasons for HNTB's growth, Sweeney cites the increasing importance of rail transit to the region's economic well-being. HNTB's complex bridge practice is contributing to some of the region's newest bridges, serving as lead designer of the Kosciuszko Bridge and owner's engineer for the $3.9 billion New NY Bridge (aka the Tappan Zee Bridge). The firm also serves as the New Jersey Turnpike Authority's general engineering consultant.
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Rayna Katz
Rayna Katz is a seasoned business journalist whose extensive experience includes coverage of the lodging sector, travel and the culinary space. She was most recently content director for a business-to-business publisher, overseeing four publications. While at Meeting News, a travel trade publication, she received a Best Reporting award for a story on meeting cancellations in New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
