Talk about branding: The Association of National Advertisers has nearly doubled its digs at 708 Third Ave. with the renewal of 22,951 square feet and a 17,865-square-foot expansion to total 40,816 square feet. The ANA has added the entire 17th floor to its space, which currently includes the 32nd to 35th floors and portions of the second and 23rd floors.
The group’s 650 member companies control 10,000 brands and more than $250 billion in marketing and advertising each year.
Daniel Horowitz and Jeffrey Peck of Savills Studley represented the ANA. The duo reviewed and negotiated several other options — that would have included a partial lease takeover — before deciding to remain and expand in place. The ANA combined with both the Business Marketing Association and Brand Activation Association just in the last year.
Claude Chandonnet, who heads Marx Realty & Improvement Co., represented his ownership of the structure, known as the Commerce Building, which had an asking rent of around $50 per square foot.
Internet-link shortening company Bitly is itself expanding — moving to 11,000 square feet covering the top two floors of 139 Fifth Ave.
David Kleinhandler and Michael Politi of CBRE represented the technology company while John Fitzsimons, Ethan Silverstein and Mark Mandell of Cushman & Wakefield represented building owner Thor Equities.
Asking rents in the neighborhood run $70 per square foot for comparable space.
The company is currently down the avenue at No. 85 Fifth in about 8,500 square feet and expects to move uptown in August.
The $2 billion applied-sciences campus at Cornell Tech is officially rising. The first residential building on Roosevelt Island will become the only high-rise residential building in the world built to Passive House standards. This international building standard dramatically reduces energy costs and consumption and provides a healthier living environment.
Mayor de Blasio as well as former Mayor Michael Bloomberg and other officials attended Tuesday’s groundbreaking for the entire Cornell Technion campus. The 270-foot-tall Passive House will have 350 residential units and should open in 2017. De Blasio noted the term “Passive House” is “a very activist notion. It’s a transformative notion.”
Times Square revelers will soon be entertained by the dueling pianos and other high-energy entertainment at Howl at the Moon. The party bar, based in Chicago with 16 locations, including Boston, Orlando, Hollywood and Denver, has signed a deal to move to the former Lucky Cheng’s.
Robert Kunikoff and Richard Kave of Lee & Associates NYC represented the restaurant in its deal at 240 W. 52nd St. between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. Building owner David Schwartz was represented by Victor Menkin of Menkin Realty Services. The multilevel venue had an asking rent of $850,000 per year.
There is no connection to the bar and restaurant of the same name on East 189th Street in the Bronx which, after extended litigation, will continue to use its moon moniker.
Glenn Newman was feted Tuesday at the Tribeca Grill as he has retired as president of the Tax Commission. Ellen Hoffman, a commissioner on the Tax Appeals Tribunal, is now acting director. The Tax Commission hears appeals of property tax assessment protests while the Tribunal hears appeals of all other finance matters. Recently, the tribunal commissioners have also heard property tax assessment protests.
