White & Case Expands to 489,000 SF at 1221 Sixth Ave.

NEW YORK CITY—White & Case has signed a lease for an additional 49,000 square feet at Rockefeller Group’s 1221 Avenue of the Americas. This brings the law firm to 489,000 square feet, occupying the top 10 floors of the Rockefeller Center skyscraper.

This is consistent with the trend of law firms continuing to prefer Midtown. Cushman & Wakefield reports law firms leased 112 spaces in the area over the past 18 months, totaling 4 million square feet. This amounted to 86.7% of the sector’s leasing activity. C&W research indicates, “Sixth Ave. and Rockefeller Center was the destination of choice for law firms, as 51.5% of the Midtown square footage occurred in this submarket. Downtown was the second market of choice, as 35 law firms signed leases accounting for 11.8% with 539,894 square feet leased.”

Founded in 1901 in New York City, White & Case currently operates in 46 cities in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East and Asia. In 2017, the New York office moved from the Durst Organization’s 1155 Avenue of the Americas up the street to its current space, signing a 440,000 square-foot lease.

Standing between W. 48th and W. 49th streets, the 2.6 million square-foot property 1221 Sixth Ave. was part of Rockefeller Center’s expansion to the west side of Sixth Avenue.

In 2016, Rockefeller Group completed $50 million in renovations on the skycraper which was originally constructed in 1969. The real estate firm updated the elevators and building systems and redesigned the lobby, entrances and outdoor plazas. LEED EB-certified, the office tower also has a Wired-Platinum score from Wired NYC for its technology infrastructure. Rockefeller Group notes that since its renovations, tenants have signed more than 1.6 million square feet in new leases and renewals, and the office space is approximately 97% occupied.

In this recent transaction, Jones Lang LaSalle’s Ken Siegel, Tom Doughty and Lisa Kiell represented White & Case. Rockefeller Group was represented by an in-house team led by Ed Guiltinan, SVP and head of leasing in New York for Rockefeller Group, and a Cushman & Wakefield team led by executive vice chairman Rob Lowe.

“The continued positive response to the capital improvements made to 1221 Avenue of the Americas and the strong demand for the building, and the Avenue of the Americas overall, are encouraging,” says Guiltinan.

Eliza McDougall, executive partner of White & Case’s New York office, says they are very pleased that Rockefeller Group was able to offer additional space in the building as the law firm continues to grow and expand its presence in the city.

The building still has available the entire second floor totaling 40,000 square feet, which includes a vacant 350-seat auditorium and event space with an escalator to the lobby, and 25,000 square feet on a portion of the 15th floor. Invesco purchased a 45% interest in the building in December 2016, according to Real Capital Analytics. Rockefeller Group owns a 55% share and as the original developer, operates and manages the building.