Marx Realty

Office or virtual office? The pandemic has caused many commercial office tenants to question the need for offices, forcing landlords and developers to respond to remain competitive. Marx Realty recently made major investments in two midtown Manhattan buildings, 10 Grand Central (155 East 44th Street) and 545 Madison Avenue, introducing new and renovated façades, lobbies, and amenities. Both buildings are over 50 years old: 10 Grand Central is a 36-story, 432,381-square-foot Art Deco structure dating from 1931, designed by Ely Jacques Kahn, while 545 Madison Avenue is a 17-story, 153,583 square-foot 1955 International Style tower built in 1955. To promote leasing, Marx commissioned BR Design to design a pre built speculative office suite at 10 Grand Central and a build-to-suit office at 545 Madison. BR Design’s interiors featured private offices, open workstation and collaborative areas, conference rooms, reception areas and cafés. The designs adroitly incorporated visual cues from their surroundings even as they modernized decades-old elements such as exposed ceilings at 10 Grand Central, attractively rearranging overhead MEP equipment to retain existing heights. The results were so satisfactory Marx shows the space at 10 Grand Central to potential
tenants, and both facilities have been cited by Crain’s as best places to work.