In one of the first big leasing deals of the new year, publisher Simon & Schuster has signed a lease for 300,150 square feet for its eponymous building at 1230 Sixth Ave. — where its name will remain over the entryway in bronze letters.
Developed in 1939, the building sits between West 48th and West 49th streets and is part of Rockefeller Center.
The 94-year-old book publisher, a unit of CBS, occupies floors 4, 9-14 and 17 in the 21-story building. The the new, long-term lease begins in the fall of 2019, sources said.
Michael Laginestra, Andrew Sussman, Rocco Laginestra, Michael Wellen and Zac Weil of CBRE represented the tenant, while Calvin Farley and Blythe Kinsler of Tishman Speyer Properties represented Rockefeller Center.
Asking rents were not available, but Sixth Avenue-area buildings generally go for anywhere between $60 and $100 per square foot, depending on the building, size of the lease and location within the property.
CBRE and Tishman Speyer declined comment.
Simon & Schuster is home to Stephen King, Mary Higgins Clark, the bestseller “The Blood of Emmett Till,” by Timothy B. Tyson, and other titles.
The company is currently battling in court with British libertarian provocateur and author Milo Yiannopoulos over the canceled publication of his book, “Dangerous,” which he then self-published.
Yiannopoulos recently split with his legal team at Meister Seelig & Fein over his representation, and says he will now represent himself in the ongoing lawsuit.
