Accidents

Elevator victim Suzanne Hart (courtesy of Facebook)

Elevator That Killed Young & Rubicam Executive Had Dodgy Safety Protocols, City Confirms

The city Department of Buildings and the Department of Investigation announced the findings today from their investigation into the deadly 2011 elevator accident at 285 Madison Avenue that killed Young & Rubicam executive Suzanne Hart in rather horrific fashion, and both agencies confirmed that maintenance workers failed to repair the elevator up to city safety standards days prior to the incident. Read More

the sit-down

Gregg Weiser.

Moinian’s Main Man: Gregg Weisser on Columbus Circle and Young & Rubicam

Gregg Weisser knows how to handle a hot house. The newly anointed executive managing director of the Moinian Group, and volunteer fireman with the Kismet Fire Department in Fire Island, New York, is no stranger to putting out fires, be it a burning beach house or as a director of leasing across some of the city’s most notable addresses. As the real estate director of JPMorgan Chase, where he had worked for over 20 years, Mr. Weisser closed a million and a half feet of empty space in 1 New York Plaza.

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the sit-down

Mary Ann Tighe.

The Iron Lady

Two years ago this month, CBRE tristate chief executive Mary Ann Tighe rattled cages when the Real Estate Board of New York named her its first female chairwoman in the 116-year-old organization’s history. During those 24 months, the former TV executive—yes, she helped launch cable channel A&E—helped renew the 421a tax exemption program, oversaw passage of the Foreign Investment in Real Property Tax Act, and shepherded a series of projects meant to fuel construction across New York. Throughout those lobbying efforts, she managed to tally what she described as the second-most successful year of leasing in her career. Last week, REBNY’s first lady spoke to The Commercial Observer about her achievements thus far as chairwoman, the complications behind her deals for Condé Nast, Coach and Young & Rubicam, and what to expect at this year’s gala.
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The Lease Beat

5 Columbus.

EXCLUSIVE: 5 Columbus Circle Snags 2

Two tenants have signed leases at 5 Columbus Circle totaling 17,000 square feet of space.

One of the deals, a 5,500 square foot transaction with 1Life Healthcare on the building’s 17th floor, was done for rents around $70 per square foot, among the highest the building has ever netted, even during the real estate boom before the recession.

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