Rockefeller Development’s 1221 Sixth Avenue, having struggled to fill the roughly 500,000 square feet of vacant space in the wake of Société Générale’s departure, may soon see a turnaround thanks to lease talks with two major law firms.
Mayer Brown is reportedly in talks to take around 200,000 square feet in the 52-story tower, while White & Case is eyeballing more than 400,000 square feet of space, sources told Crain’s.
Asking rents in the tower start in the $70s per square foot.
While neither deal is inked just yet, they would mark a significant turnaround for Rockefeller, which has struggled to fill 500,000 square feet occupied by Société Générale, which is leaving for 245 Park Avenue.
The building also recently lost out on nabbing Sony USA as a tenant after the company sold its 550 Madison Avenue headquarters for $1.1 billion earlier this year.
And for the first time since the building opened in 1972, the owner has tapped a brokerage firm — Cushman & Wakefield — to help lease the space. A team led by John Cefaly is handling the task. [Crain’s] — Julie Strickland