| Trying to cut energy usage by 38% at the ESB has led to a lot of exciting sustainability initiatives from owner W&H Properties. We dropped by the landmark to get an update from its newly appointed leasing agent, Newmark Knight Frank’s Billy Cohen. |
| It’s well into retrofitting the building’s 6.5k thermo-paned windows; instead of sending them out for upgrade, Billy says, ownership will do all the work on site, further reducing the building’s carbon footprint and saving money. Skanska, which moved into the building’s 32nd floor, was recently plaqued LEED Platinum for its 30k-SF build-out, while recently signed FDIC is aiming for Silver in its 100k space. Other efforts: lighting control installation, insulating between radiators and exterior walls, and assisting tenants and architects in build-outs to help improve efficiency. |
| Billy, who’s marketing the building along with colleagues Julie Christiano, Ryan Kass, and Lindsay Hearn, says they’re trading paper with 1M SF of prospective tenants—two of them are 250k and three 100k plus. The building, which has consolidated from 800 tenants to under 300, is now hunting for the big fish, as well as the 3k-to-5k tenant to fill the high-end pre-builts—which are modeled on W&H’s One Grand Central Place, with goals of LEED Silver. Tenants will also get to enjoy the building’s new ground floor cocktail lounge,The Empire Room (same owner as The Campbell Apartment), scheduled for completion in January. |
| If you haven’t stopped by recently, make sure to visit the ESB lobby, recently restored to Pre-War glory as part of the building’s $550M ongoing renovations. Its Art Deco ceiling has been recreated by hand with 23-karat gold, while the chandeliers were manufactured from the building’s original plans. (When ESB was built, plans were drawn for chandeliers, but none were actually made.) Also gone: the confusing lobby; security turnstiles have been recessed, and it now has a prominent, central concierge desk at 34th St, a satellite desk at 33rd, and all observatory visitors come in via Fifth Avenue. |
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