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Brookfield Properties

By Jotham Sederstrom 11:05am

the sit-down

Charlie Murphy

Charlie Murphy, Shoveling for Success

As senior vice president and general manager of the New York business unit of Turner Construction, Charlie Murphy oversaw approximately 800 employees and $1.5 billion in construction last year. Despite a general malaise across the construction industry, this year looks particularly active, with assignments for Silverstein Properties, New York University and Boston Properties, among other commercial buildings. Mr. Murphy spoke to The Commercial Observer about a promising spurt in construction spending, work on New York University’s Langone Medical Center campus and working with competing firm Tishman on the ground at the World Trade Center site.
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1 By Jotham Sederstrom 1/31 3:38pm

the sit-down

Scott Spector.

The Winter Garden and Quirky.Com: Scott Spector Designs New York City

Since breaking into Manhattan in 1998, the Spector Group has immersed itself in some of the city’s most notable design projects, including a series of assignments for NASDAQ, office designs for Internet start-up companies and some of the area’s earliest initiatives for data centers and telecom hotels, some of which are now being converted back to office use. Principal Scott Spector, 49, spoke to The Commercial Observer about one of his family-owned company’s biggest assignments, rebuilding the Winter Garden, as well as ongoing work for NASDAQ and what may be his most imaginative job yet—designing eclectic office space for Quirky.com with repurposed bowling alley materials.

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By Robert Sammons 1/31 3:01pm

Stat of the Week

stat

Stat of the Week: 82

The number of Manhattan buildings with at least 100,000 square feet of (potential) availability (contiguous or noncontiguous) has climbed over the past year to 82 from 77, though it is down from 84 two years ago. The figures quoted are a catch-all including space currently vacant, known to have a tenant moving out or that is new construction with a completion date.


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By Drew Grant 1/24 5:20pm

Occupy Wall Street

OWS plans response to President Obama's speech

Occupy Wall Street Gives Up Zuccotti Park; Sets Sights on State of the Union

The heady days of New York's Wall Street occupation are officially over, reports The New York Times. Boo! We were hoping that the protesters were just in hibernation, waiting until the Spring weather thaws out Zuccotti Park and makes it habitable again. But one of the lawyers representing OWS campers stated that the lawsuit they filed back in November to regain park access was dropped after the barricades and Brookfield Property security guards were removed from Zuccotti on January 10th.

Fighting over that particular scrap of land is no longer part of the OWS agenda. Instead, the grassroots movement is focusing its efforts Southward, to the country's capital.

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By Daniel Geiger 1/24 12:00pm

power broker

Meyer Last

Last But Not Least

Is he the most prolific attorney in the city you’ve never heard about?

Probably not.

Still, it’s possible to lose track of just how many deals Fried Frank partner Meyer Last inked in 2011. Call it the Jon Mechanic effect.

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By Dan Geiger 12/13/11 9:39am

lease beat

1 Chase Manhattan Plaza. (Courtesy Property Shark)

EXCLUSIVE: In a Reversal, Law Firm Milbank Tweed Considers a Renewal

The law firm Milbank Tweed, Hadley & McCloy LLP is negotiating to renew its lease at the downtown office building 1 Chase Manhattan Plaza, sources said.

The firm occupies 375,000 square feet on several floors at the property, which is owned by the bank JP Morgan Chase. Rents in the deal were not available by press time. The lease is a change in plans for the company.
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By Daniel Edward Rosen 12/08/11 9:00am
245 Park Avenue. (Courtesy Property Shark)

Stockholm’s Oldest Private Bank Grows at 245 Park

Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken, a 155-year-old Swedish financial group whose name is a mouthful to pronounce, took more-than-a-mouthful of office space when it agreed to lease approximately 20,700 square feet at 245 Park Avenue. 

The lease is for ten years at the Brookfield Properties-owned building.

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By Daniel Edward Rosen 12/07/11 3:00pm

ICSC

The Flatiron District, one of many suggested "hot" "new" neighborhoods.

Q: The City’s Next Hot Neighborhood? A: Take Your Pick

To seasoned retail brokers, the very concept of the next big neighborhood in a city that has been developed several times over is, well, naïve. Still, as The Commercial Observer recently learned, most are still looking for a reason to believe.

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3 By Drew Grant 11/29/11 1:20pm

Occupy Wall Street

No bikes allowed in Zuccotti (Photo via AnimalNY)

Where Occupy Wall Street Stands Now (Video)

Has the Occupy Wall Street movement fizzled out? Certainly the stories have moved: While Philadelphia and Los Angeles have handed their Occupiers eviction notices (but haven't moved them out yet), and some protesters have moved down to Miami for Art Basel, we notice that it's been awfully silent over at Zuccotti Park recently.

A lot of people are speculating on what OWS can do next, or where the movement is going...which is a sure sign that journos have hit a lull on breaking news in NYC.
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By Matt Chaban 11/15/11 11:11am

Occupy Wall Street

Zuccotti Park rangers. (Getty)

Brookfield: Thank You Mayor Bloomberg for Letting Us Clean Up Zuccotti Park

Brookfield Properties has just released a statement thanking the mayor and the city agencies that evicted the Occupy Wall Street protestors in the predawn hours this morning. It is not clear what exactly set this off, perhaps it was the injured paramedic the mayor has made reference to, but as he said it today's press conference, "We have been in constant contact with Brookfield and yesterday they requested that the City assist it in enforcing the no sleeping and camping rules in the park."

The feeling on both sides was that the situation had deteriorated to such a point that action was necessary. "In our view, these risks were unacceptable and it would have been irresponsible to not request that the City take action," Brookfield said in its statement, which you can read in full below. Read More

By Matt Chaban 10/18/11 5:42pm

POPS-ing OFF

Sony is watching. (The Nation)

Keep Off the Plaza! Brookfield and Rudins Get Proactive About Occupy Wall Street

In addition to Zuccotti Park, the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators have taken over the Brooklyn Bridge, Park Avenue, Washington Square Park, Times Square, the local McDonald's, and tonight they march on Lincoln Center. Fearing new encampments in the plazas outside of their Midtown towers, the already-occupied Brookfield Properties, as well as the august Rudin Management and the corporate godheads at Sony, have begun putting out new signs forbidding a litany of activities, according to The Times. Read More

1 By Matt Chaban 9:42am

Occupy Wall Street

Hallelujah! (Getty)

Can Brookfield Change the Rules at Zuccotti Park?

The occupation of Zuccotti Park can continue, leading to celebratory marches across downtown today. At the heart of the debate over the base camp on Brookfield's "property" is whether or not the landlord can retroactively change the rules at the site. The Observer has heard a mix of answers from architects and zoning experts, but according to the Department of City Planning, which oversees the city's POPS, Brookfield can make some restrictions, but not others. Read More

2 By Matt Chaban 10/13/11 12:22pm

Greensward

Don't worry, we've got it. (Brookfield)

Is the Zuccotti Park Cleanup Really a Trap for Occupy Wall Street?

The protestors occupying Wall Street/Zuccotti Park are worried about the new plans to clean up the park tomorrow, calling it an eviction notice. The mayor showed up last night, politely informed the occupation of the move, and asked them to make way for Brookfield's cleaning crews.

The protestors have responded by calling for bucket brigades, but according to a source with intimate knowledge of the site, they may not have to. It appears Brookfield, and not the occupiers, would be breaking the law if they tried to return and were denied access. Read More

By Matt Chaban 10/11/11 1:29pm

Week In Review

After Occupy Wall Street, Big Real Estate Would Like to See More Restrictions on Private ‘Parks’

Privately owned public spaces, or POPS, have been largely ignored by New Yorkers, even as they have reshaped the city over the past 50 years. Plazas, passageways and pocket parks have been carved out of giant new office and apartment buildings in exchange for considerable development bonuses (a few hundred thousand square feet here or there). This has led a band of urban activists to fight for awareness of and activity in POPS across the city. Read More