NEW YORK CITY—Showing the success of its controversial business model, Uber Technologies is dramatically expanding its office on Long Island City in a move that also brings the firm into the area's most talked about asset.

The San Francisco, CA-based company has agreed to lease 25,074 square feet at Falchi, a 680,000-square-foot, historic mixed-use building located at 31-00 47^th Ave. The firm has been in a 3,500-square- foot space at 27-55 Jackson Ave. in Long Island City since November, 2012. Uber opened its first New York office in May 2011 with just three employees operating out of a co-working space in Brooklyn.

In the Falchi lease, Uber was represented by JLL's Alexander Chudnoff, vice chairman; Dan Turkewitz, SVP and Brittany Wunsch, VP. Building owner Jamestown Properties was represented by Cushman & Wakefield executive director Mitchell Arkin; directors Kelli Berke and Haley Fisher and associate Michael Blanchard, along with Greg Smith, president, JRT Realty Group.

“Uber has experienced tremendous growth of its business in the New York metropolitan area,” says Chudnoff. “The Falchi Building was ideal for the company, offering one of the most flexible layouts in Long Island City and the most advance infrastructure in the area.”

Located between 31st Street and 31st Place in Long Island City, the five-story Falchi Building was constructed in 1922 as a warehouse and distribution facility for Gimbels, the now-defunct department store chain. In September 2013, Jamestown launched a multi-million dollar capital improvement program that included renovations to the building's façade and lobby.

The owner repositioned the property as a hub for creative and technology companies, installing state-of-the-art technology and connectivity. Other tenants include Tourneau, Juice Press, a new co-working facility from Regus and the United Nations.