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kliq6
May 22nd, 2007, 02:24 PM
545 Madison Ave. Set for Class A Conversion
By Katie Hinderer

NEW YORK CITY-The Plaza District’s 545 Madison Ave. is going to be renovated into a trophy office building. Real estate firm LCOR Inc. is handling the conversion and released plans for the property late Monday afternoon. A request for further comment on the project including construction cost was not returned by deadline.

“This rare opportunity to recreate a Plaza District office building from scratch will allow us to provide space to an upscale, yet limited, tenant roster of 17 or fewer boutique firms,” says David Sigman, SVP of LCOR. Tenants are expected to take a full floor once construction completes and the building opens again for occupancy.

The 17-story building on the corner of 55th Street will be completely stripped to the structure and then developed into a class A office building. A floor-to-ceiling glass curtain wall will be installed, as well as new, top quality electrical, HVAC and mechanical systems. Once renovations are complete, executives at LCOR say the building will qualify for LEED gold standard.

“And as a green building, tenants can enjoy improved indoor air quality, which can boost employee productivity and reduce absenteeism,” Sigman says. “The increase in energy efficiency can reduce their costs further. The LEED certification will be a win for the building’s tenants and for the earth as well.”
In November, LCOR leased the building for 75 years. After construction, which the demolition phase began in March, the building will be 140,000 sf. The first tenants are slated to be able to move in by spring 2008. Jones Lang LaSalle’s Peter Riguardi, Frank Doyle, Lisa Kiell and David Kleiner will exclusively lease the office space; while CB Richard Ellis’ Susan Kurland will handle the retail leases.

“545 Madison will offer the kind of top-tier quality space that only a handful of buildings in the city possess,” Sigman says. “The building is destined to become the new jewel of Madison Avenue.”

londonlawyer
May 22nd, 2007, 03:28 PM
I saw the rendering for this tower in the Post a few months ago. It looks beautiful and is leagues better than Macklowe's 510 Madison.

macreator
May 22nd, 2007, 04:24 PM
Shouldn't this thread be merged with the existing one: http://www.wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread.php?t=11358

antinimby
May 22nd, 2007, 05:05 PM
The Plaza District’s 545 Madison Ave. is going to be renovated into a trophy office building.Translation: rents will go through the roof.

antinimby
May 22nd, 2007, 06:02 PM
I saw the rendering for this tower in the Post a few months ago. It looks beautiful and is leagues better than Macklowe's 510 Madison.You ask and you shall get. By the way, I wouldn't exactly call it "leagues better."

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/6954/545madisonws1.jpg

londonlawyer
May 22nd, 2007, 06:22 PM
You ask and you shall get. By the way, I wouldn't exactly call it "leagues better."

http://img232.imageshack.us/img232/6954/545madisonws1.jpg

I think it's way better. The building, as is, had nice lines, as do many white brick structures. Macklowe's 510 Madison is a simple box sans details like this one. Also, the glass looks much better on 545 than it does on 510.

fioco
May 22nd, 2007, 07:41 PM
Much better than just getting a new skin, this building will receive a LEED gold rating (according to the article above). That makes it more attractive in itself. If only McSam could build an LEED platinum-rated hotel out of cinder block, we could all go apoplectic over aesthetics vs environment. :D

Deimos
May 23rd, 2007, 02:32 PM
As I'd stated in the other 545 thread, this building was in my sales territory a few years ago, and I'd been inside it many times. Of all the corporate buildings between 53rd and 55th on the East side that I'd covered, it was my least favorite. The elevators were slow and dark... and on top of it, if you didn't get into the correct elevator in the lobby, you'd just sit until the building decided to let it move. The lobby, while a nice marble, was dark and dreary. The floors were old and boring and dark. There is absolutely no redeeming value worth saving in this building. If completely gutting it and starting over will produce a nice structure, then by all means DO IT... we're talking about a prime Madison Avenue location here.