Coworking company Industrious has signed a lease for 33,231 square feet at RFR’s 190 Bowery in the Nolita section of Manhattan, Commercial Observer has learned.

AJ Camhi, Paul Milunec and Rob Weller with RFR represented the owner in-house along with JLL’s Jake Bargas. Industrious’ Natalie Levine and Kylie VanBuren represented the tenant in-house.

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Industrious is taking all of the office space at the 38,000-square-foot building on the corner of Spring Street and the Bowery. The lease is for seven years, and the asking rent was $95 per square foot.

The Beaux Arts 190 Bowery has a storied history in the art world. 

Built in 1898 as Germania Bank, the building was bought for $102,000 in 1966 by photographer Jay Maisel, who maintained it for decades as, according to a 2008 feature in New York Magazine that called the building “maybe the greatest real-estate coup of all time,” a “six-story, 72-room, 35,000-square-foot …single-family home.” 

That said, he did use some of those rooms as studio and gallery space, and also rented out the fourth-floor studio for a time to pop art pioneer Roy Lichtenstein. Eventually, street artists like Keith Haring came to view the building’s exterior as an optimal graffiti canvas, inspiring artwork that has been preserved to this day.

“We’re excited to plant our first flag for Industrious in this pocket of Manhattan,” Levine said in a statement. “While we have a strong presence across the city, this space is a trailblazer for our footprint in the walkable, energetic NoLita and Lower East Side area. The building’s architecture and fascinating history make it an inspiring setting. It’s a natural fit for the thoughtful, hospitality-driven workplaces we’re known for.”

RFR purchased the building from Maisel in 2015 for $55 million. Curbed once noted that the sale was said to be “one of the greatest returns on investment in New York City real estate.” Maisel went on to buy a 10,000-square-foot townhouse at 177 Pacific Street in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn, for $15.5 million, the most expensive single residence ever sold in Brooklyn at the time. 

Meanwhile, 190 Bowery’s new owner upgraded the interior for modern office usage while preserving the building’s original architectural details, as well as many of the artistic touches from its marvelous Maisel era. There was also the introduction of new artwork, such as a mural on the building’s rooftop water tower by artist Shepard Fairey, who used to tag the building’s base as a graffiti artist in his youth. The mural, titled “Power and Equality,” features a portrait of actress and neighborhood native Rosario Dawson.

“The building itself is an evolving work of art situated in the heart of one of the City’s most vibrant neighborhoods,” RFR’s Camhi said in a statement. “It represents a one-of-a-kind opportunity for Industrious to provide a curated workplace experience in one of New York City’s most storied spaces.”

Streetwear brand Supreme occupies the building’s retail space.

Larry Getlen can be reached at lgetlen@commercialobserver.com.