By Al Barbarino
Law firm Morrison & Foerster is taking an additional floor in Boston Properties’ under construction one-million-square-foot glass tower at 250 West 55th Street.
The firm’s original 15-year lease, for approximately 180,000 s/f on floors 17 through 23, was signed just over a year ago. The latest agreement tacks on the 25,000 s/f 24th floor, for a total of roughly 20 percent of the building.
The expansion comes as the developer topped off the 40-story tower and city brokers continue to chatter about both Microsoft and the law firm Chadbourne & Parke eying space.
Boston Properties has declined to give specifics about potential new tenants, although senior vice president and regional manager Robert E. Selsam said that the company is “talking to several large tenants for occupancy.” He could not specify which companies are in the running, but said the building will be ready for occupancy starting in January 2014.
The building was designed by Skidmore, Owings & Merrill LLP (SOM), the same architectural firm that designed the Manhattan House, the Lever House and One World Trade Center, as well as Chicago’s John Hancock Center and Sears Tower.
Morrison & Foerster currently has more than 200 attorneys and 150 professional staff at its current New York location, at 1290 6th Avenue. Globally, the firm employs 1,000 attorneys in 15 offices.
“Boston Properties is making great strides with its new showcase building at 250 West 55th Street – with construction months ahead of schedule,” said Charles Kerr, New York managing partner of Morrison & Foerster.
“This is a tremendous project and we are excited to be coming in as Boston Properties’ anchor tenant for what will certainly be a marquee professional space in what is fast becoming one of the busiest corridors in Manhattan.”
Construction on the building began in late 2007, was suspended during the recession and resumed early last year after Boston Properties paid more than $12 million to terminate an original 200,000 s/f lease signed by law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher, the New York Post reported at the time.
