January News Roundup

January’s news media showcased new business openings, major lease signings, and residential and commercial building developments. Stay in-the-know with the latest Flatiron News.

Restaurants & Bars

• Milu was named one of the “15 Most Exciting New Restaurants Open in Manhattan Right Now” (via Eater NY). Milu was also profiled in the New Yorker with rave reviews (via The New Yorker). 
• Scarpetta’s Winter Chalets were deemed one of the city’s most enchanting outdoor dining concepts (via Hospitality Design) and landed a spot on the New York Posts’s “These COVID-safe date spots will make you love NYC’s outdoor dining again” list (New York Post). 
• Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen signed a 5,000-square-foot lease at 14 East 23rd Street, the space of the former Live Bait Bar and Flats Fix Taqueria (via Commercial Observer). 
• Shake Shack is making plans for a major expansion including the addition of 60 new restaurants. “We believe there is pent-up demand for food and experiences,” said Chief Executive Randy Garutti (via Crain’s New York). 
• Fields Good Chicken reopened their Flatiron location after undergoing a major renovation. Check out the new space at 46 East 23rd Street (via AOL). 
• After the City’s announcement to reopen indoor dining at 25% capacity on February 14th, the Owner of Cote Korean Steakhouse, Simon Kim, shared his thoughts on being able to double the number of patrons they can sit – “Now that we are opening indoors, it’s going to mean we no longer have to hemorrhage tens of thousands of dollars each week” (via New York Times).

District Businesses

• Life Time debuted their second NYC location with a new 37,000-square-foot health club in Flatiron that includes more than 110 cardio and strength machines; a cedarwood sauna; an indoor saltwater lap pool; and teakwood showers (via New York Business Journal)
• Kitchen furniture brand Lineadecor teamed up with Sandra’s Wine Life to present holiday wine tips from their main showroom at 900 Broadway in Flatiron (via New York City Biz List).
• Klein Kitchen and Bath opens a new luxury showroom at 25 West 26th Street (via Cision PR Web)
• Pavan Thimmaiah, founder of PMT House of Dance in the Flatiron District, helped launch the Dance Studio Alliance, which is petitioning the city to reopen rehearsal spaces (via Crain’s New York).
• The James New York-NoMad hotel (with 25 suites and 2 Penthouse Suites) is located just north of Madison Square Park was landed on Forbes’ “7 NYC Valentine’s Day Hotel Offers that Promis Romance and Respite” list (via Forbes).

Real Estate

• Beam Suntory, the liquor company behind Jim Beam and Maker’s Mark, is moving its headquarters from Chicago to New York City at 11 Madison Avenue (via Real Estate Weekly).
• Freshly signed a lease to move its offices to 92,000 square feet at 28 East 28th Street (via The Real Deal).
• Curtain wall work is continuing to shape up at 39 West 23rd Street, a 24-story residential development in the Flatiron District (via New York YIMBY).
• Take a look at Jennifer Lopez’s apartment in Flatiron worth $22 million (via Showbiz Cheat Sheet).
• Tom Brady sold his apartment at One Madison for $35 million (via Maca).
• Construction is underway at One Madison Avenue in the Flatiron District, where the 13-story full-block structure is being renovated and expanded with a new 18-story addition yielding 1.4 million square feet of Class A office space (via New York YIMBY).
• The Flatiron/Union Square area leads Manhattan for Q4 2020 retail leasing with more than 86,000 square feet leased in three transactions. The most notable transaction was Home Depot, which renewed its 79,000-square-foot outpost at 28 West 23rd Street (via Connect Media). 

Around the Neighborhood

• CUNY School of Professional Studies (SPS) was recently ranked in the top 2% of online bachelor’s programs by US News & World Report. The School now ranks #8 in the nation of 357 institutions (via CUNY).
• January marked the 75th Anniversary of the World War II Victory Parade in New York City. The parade marched past the Flatiron Building and Madison Square Park, continuing to the New York Public Library and the Rockefeller Center, the flags of the U.S., Britain, France, and Russia held at the front (via Untapped Cities).

Header and Thumbnail Photo: New York YIMBY