Ex Durst leasing manager lands at Transwestern

From left: 4 Times Square and John Grotto
From left: 4 Times Square and John Grotto

John Grotto, the former head of leasing for the Durst Organization who departed the firm abruptly in June, has joined relative newcomer commercial brokerage Transwestern, where he will hold the title of managing director of the Northeast region, a statement from Transwestern today said.

Grotto, who brokered leases for 9 million feet of Class A office space while working for Durst, according to the statement, will focus on retail and office leasing in New York City at Transwestern.

Retail leases Grotto has overseen include a 12,000-square-foot lease for Staples at Durst’s 32-story building at 675 Third Avenue.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

Grotto was also involved in the marketing of the retail space at 4 Times Square, which has sat vacant since ESPN Zone bought out its lease at the tower last year. In June, Durst brought in CBRE’s Gary Trock and Amira Yunis to attempt to lease the space, which has lingered on the market as the result of a number of botched deals.

Grotto was elected chairman of the Young Men’s and Women’s Real Estate Association in 2005. Before working with Durst, Grotto was at the commercial brokerage Colliers International. — Guelda Voien