Historic Midtown building, former Marvel
Comics HQ, gets post-pandemic makeover
BY HAEVEN GIBBONS
Leasing is underway for a historic
35-story building in Midtown Manhattan
that previously housed
Marvel Comics and was renovated to be a
forward thinking work space and include
post-pandemic amenities for a safe work
environment.
Resolution Real Estate announced the
leasing launch on Monday, following a $120
million revamp of the 700,000-square-foot,
historic West side landmark located at 330
West 42nd St.
The post-pandemic work environment
amenities include modernized air quality
systems, wellness center, nine outdoor
terraces, collaborative event spaces and
a direct outside air system, or HVAC,
which will improve indoor air quality and
thermal control. The building’s industrial
bones and character were preserved during
renovation.
“The tower’s workspaces are specifi cally
designed to accommodate the needs of today’s
tenants post-pandemic with abundant
natural light, high ceilings, open layouts,
outdoor terraces, and best-in-class amenities,”
said Dan Shannon, Partner, MdeAS,
in a press release from Resolution Real
The exterior of 330 West 42nd St. in Midtown Manhattan.
Estate.
The direct outside air system circulates
fresh, outside air throughout the building
and the operable windows and outdoor
space also help provide fresh air.
“It’s a building that breathes,” said Scott
Klau, vice chairman at Newmark.
Resolution, a New York-based asset management
fi rm specializing in Manhattan
offi ce re-positionings, is heading up the renovation
and leasing effort. The fi rm assembled
PHOTO VIA GOOGLE MAPS
a team including MdeAS Architects and a
Newmark team led by Brian Waterman and
Scott Klau.
“The reimagining of this landmark property
brings to market one of the most extraordinary
prospects for businesses looking for
a true headquarters opportunity,” Klau said.
“The property offers an unrivaled environment
for employees to collaborate in modern
spaces with state-of-the-art amenities.”
Resolution and its team anticipate
securing an anchor for the building by the
second quarter of next year, Klau said.
“The beauty of this building is that it’s
entirely vacant so we have the opportunity
to truly reimagine the building,” Klau said.
Adding, “Because it is a vacant building, it’s
an incredible branding opportunity where we
can give extraordinary identity. We have a
blank canvas to craft a true headquarters opportunity
for a forward thinking company.”
The building has been sectioned into
low-rise, mid-rise, and high-rise fl oors with
varying offi ce layouts, according to the
release. Offi ce spaces are industrial, and
fl oor plates span from 20,000 to more than
30,000 square feet.
Seven to 12 foot high windows provide
natural light and views of Midtown, Lower
Manhattan and across the Hudson River.
The building also includes lounges, conference
rooms, and prime location for transit
access.
“What you have is the best of both
worlds,” Klau said. “You have slab heights
and window heights that are consistent with
new construction, but you have the character
of an old building. When you couple that
with the amenities that we are building,
which are on a grand scale, there really is
no offering like it in the market.”
The landmark property was once home
to McGraw-Hill Publishing Company and
Marvel Comics. It was built in 1931 by architect
Raymond Hood. The building became a
National Historic Landmark in 1989.
Manhattan public meeting on congestion pricing tonight
BY KEVIN DUGGAN
Public meetings begin on Thursday,
Sept. 23, to gather feedback about
the proposal to toll drivers entering
Manhattan at or below 60th Street, also
known as congestion pricing.
The Metropolitan Transportation Authority
will hold a total 13 virtual meetings
during the next three weeks for the scheme
offi cially dubbed the Central Business District
Tolling Program (CBDTP), targeting
different communities in the tri-state area.
First up are New York City’s outer boroughs
at 10 a.m., Sept. 23, and later that
day there’s another hearing for Manhattan’s
so-called Central Business District below
61st Street at 6 p.m.
MTA will hold meetings in areas of the
commuter belts in New York, New Jersey,
and Connecticut, along with three specifi -
cally geared toward so-called environmental
justice communities in each state.
The proposal
Congestion pricing would charge almost
all drivers heading to all streets below 61st
Street, except for the FDR Drive, the West
Side Highway, and sections of the Battery
Park Underpass and Brooklyn–Battery
Tunnel that connect to those the FDR and
the West Side Highway.
The price has not been set but it would
affect almost all cars, trucks, and vehicles
in the zone. The exceptions are emergency
vehicles, vehicles transporting people with
disabilities, or a vehicle belonging to
families living in the zone with a household
income of $60,000 a year or less.
The proposal promises to rake in $1 billion
a year in tolls and would allow MTA to
unlock $15 billion in debt fi nancing to fund
FILE PHOTO
much-needed upgrades and repairs for its
aging public transit system.
The environmental benefi ts would be
reduced air and noise pollution by cars,
as well as easing congestion, leading to
faster rides for those drivers who still use
the roads.
The toll was already approved by the
state legislature in 2019, but was held up
for two years under the President Trump
Administration.
As part of a federally-mandated review
known as an Environmental Assessment,
MTA and its two partners, the State Department
of Transportation and the City
Department of Transportation, have to
collect public feedback for the project.
How to tune in and comment
The meetings are all being held via
Zoom and will be live-streamed on MTA’s
YouTube channel and the new project
website at new.mta.info/project/CBDTP.
They will feature a brief introduction
about the project and the process, followed
by public comment.
The fi rst two meetings already have a
high number of people registered to speak,
so MTA encourages those living outside
the areas designated during those hearings
to opt for the date set for their place of
residence.
Meetings are scheduled to last two
hours, but MTA may run over time if
speakers need more.
Those who can’t attend a meeting but
still want to provide comment can do so
online at the website, send an email to
CBDTP@mtabt.org, call (646) 252–7440,
or send a letter to: CBD Tolling Program2
Broadway, 23rd Floor New York, NY
10004
Schneps Media September 23, 2021 3
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