Facebook in talks for office space at former Farley Post Office in Midtown
Rendering courtesy of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill via Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office
Facebook is looking to expand its New York City footprint once again. The social media company is in talks to lease about 700,000 square feet at the former James A. Farley Post Office, a city landmark in Midtown currently being converted into a mixed-use building. If the deal is inked, Facebook would become one of the largest corporate tenants in the city with 3 million square feet of office space leased, as first reported by the Wall Street Journal.
The news comes less than a month after Facebook signed a lease for 1.5 million square feet of office space at three Hudson Yards buildings. Starting next year, the company said it will expand to 30 Hudson Yards, 55 Hudson Yards, and 50 Hudson Yards. The latter, a 1,000-foot skyscraper designed by Foster + Partners, will not open until 2022.
Currently, Facebook operates out of two locations in New York, at 770 Broadway and 225 Park Avenue. It was reported in June that the company was looking to expand, with rumors hinting at space at One Madison Avenue, Hudson Yards, and the Farley Building.
The landmarked building on Eighth Avenue sits across from Penn Station and Madison Square Garden. A development team made up of Related Companies, Vornado Realty Trust, Skanska USA, and architecture firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill are transforming the building with a mix of commercial space, offices, and a new train hall.
“New York’s vibrant communities, strong business economy and diverse talent base first attracted us to the city in 2007,” John Tenanes, Facebook’s vice president of global facilities and real estate, said in a statement last month following the Hudson Yards deal.
“When considering the next phase of our growth in the city, it was important that our newest office space was situated in the heart of a vibrant community that offered access to arts, culture, media and commerce.”
Tech companies continue to increase their presence in New York, particularly on Manhattan’s west side. Before news of Facebook’s impending lease at the Midtown space, Apple was reportedly scoping out the former post office, as well as at office space at Hudson Yards. Google is currently building a huge campus across three buildings in Hudson Square, in addition to owning the Chelsea Market building and serving as the anchor tenant at under-construction Pier 57.
And Amazon, which pulled out of plans last year to move its headquarters to Long Island City, is still growing its footprint in the city. As Crain’s reported on Thursday, the online retailer is in advanced negotiations to lease a 700,000-square-foot warehouse at 55-15 Grand Avenue in Maspeth.
[Via WSJ]
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