Legal Services NYC, a nonprofit that provides free legal services to New Yorkers in need, has signed a 15-year lease extension to expand to 8,995 square feet at 349 East 149th Street in the South Bronx, landlord GFP Real Estate announced Thursday.
The lease “expands and consolidates” the firm’s footprint within the building, giving it a full floor plus a portion of the seventh floor to “bring operations together,” GFP said. Legal Services NYC also owns the top two floors of the property.
SEE ALSO: AI Platform Forge Growth Infrastructure Inks 7K-SF Deal at 430 West Broadway
The nonprofit’s new space in the 10-story building was previously occupied by nonprofit Volunteers of America.
Also known as the Busher Building, 349 East 149th Street is a historic 89,000-square-foot building completed in 1927. The asking rent was not disclosed, but the average maximum asking rent for office space in the Bronx is $90.53 per square foot, according to Commercial Cafe.
Cougar II Associates, which acts as a landlord for properties owned or managed by GFP, was represented by Alphie Toro and David Kaye from GFP, while the tenant was represented by CBRE’s Scott Sloves, Christopher Mansfield and Courtney Hughson. Spokespeople for CBRE and Legal Services NYC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
“By working collaboratively with both sides, we were able to help Legal Services NYC consolidate its operations while allowing ownership to create larger, highly functional office space that is in short supply in the neighborhood,” Toro said in a statement. “It’s a transaction that aligns tenant growth with smart asset repositioning.”
Legal Services NYC maintains additional office space at GFP’s 40 Worth Street in Manhattan and has 12 other offices around New York City.
Amanda Schiavo can be reached at aschiavo@commercialobserver.com.