Al Jazeera takes 86,000 sf at 250 West 55th Street

Media firm to set up operations on three separate floors of Boston Properties tower

250 West 55th Street (center) and Boston Properties' Mort Zuckerman
250 West 55th Street (center) and Boston Properties' Mort Zuckerman

Qatari media giant Al Jazeera is swooping into Boston Properties’ spec office tower at 250 West 55th Street. Al Jazeera will take 86,000 square feet on three separate floors, a source familiar with the transaction told The Real Deal.

Al Jazeera will move into just under 50,000 square feet on the second floor of the tower, an expansive space that boasts nearly 30-foot ceilings and could serve as a broadcast studio. It will also take space on the ground and 36th floors of the 1 million-square-foot, 38-story building.

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The media company had initially been in talks to take up to 200,000 square feet at the building, according to Crain’s. Representatives for CBRE, which is handling leasing at the building, didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment. Representatives for Boston Properties declined to comment.

In December, billionaire George Soros’ investment firm took just shy of 100,000 square feet on the top floor of the tower. Boston Properties also signed three firms to a total of 23,265 on the 16th floor late last month.