ESRT Inks 54 KSF Expansion at the Empire State Building

Law firm Hecker Fink LLP has signed a full-floor, 26,782-square-foot lease expansion at the Empire State Building in Midtown Manhattan. The tenant will occupy a total of 53,779 square feet of space across two floors.

Savills negotiated on behalf of the tenant, while the landlord, Empire State Realty Trust, was represented in-house, with the assistance of Newmark.

Hecker Fink LLP has been a tenant at the 102-story iconic skyscraper for the past seven years and the expansion reflects the company’s continuous growth, said Founding Partners Sean Hecker and Julie Fink, in prepared remarks.

Notable tenants at Empire State Building include LinkedIn, Capco, Shutterstock Inc., Turkish Airlines, The Alberleen Group, Skanska and First American Equities, according to CommercialEdge.

Upgrades and cosmetic renovations

Empire State Realty Trust picked up the 2.8 million-square-foot iconic office building in 2013 as part of a $711 million portfolio deal with seller Helmsley Enterprises, according to the same source. Completed in 1931, Empire State Building features floorplates between 12,905 square feet and 100,512 square feet, 64 passenger elevators, an on-site conference center, a fitness center and 127,256 square feet of first-floor and mezzanine-level retail space.

The property’s upgrade and cosmic renovations started back in 2008 and total more than $650 million, with the latest improvements happening in 2011 and 2019. Earlier this month, ESRT opened the Empire Lounge, a 10,000-square-foot new amenity space that can host up to 400 people and that includes pickleball and basketball courts, as well as two golf simulators.

Additionally, amenities at the property include more than 65,000 square feet of space and feature on-site dining options, a 23,000-square-foot Starbucks Reserve and access to The Campus, an amenity center connected to ESRT’s 1333 and 1400 Broadway.

A leasing momentum

Savills’ Vice Chairman, Director & Co-Branch Manager Ira Schuman represented Hecker Fink LLP. The ownership was represented in-house by Vice President of Leasing Shanae Ursini and Newmark’s Vice Chairman Scott Klau, Executive Managing Director Erik Harris and Managing Director Neil Rubin.

The deal follows multiple recent commitments at the property. In early 2024, Greater New York Mutual Insurance Co., a 109-year old insurance company, signed a full-floor, 52,116-square-foot deal. In July, consulting firm Kearney signed a 27,866-square-foot lease at the office building’s top two floors, relocating its New York team. A few months prior, fintech company Pontera Solutions Inc. relocated from another Manhattan office property owned by the same landlord to a 40,679-square-foot space at the Empire State Building.