The Plan: 360 Lexington Avenue Has Been ‘Completely Reinvented’ – Commercial Observer
If it’s been said once, it’s been said 1,000 times: Employees need a compelling reason to return to the office. At 360 Lexington Avenue, they are offered exactly that.
Acquired by AmTrustRE for $65.5 million in 2024, the boutique office building at 360 Lexington Avenue has been “completely reinvented,” says Jonathan Bennett, president at AmTrustRE.
“We have redone the facade, and we have reinvented the sense of arrival,” Bennett said. “We installed an underlit marquee with building identification built into the marquee, which lights up. And we built an amazing, amazing amenity center.”
AmTrustRE wanted the building to stand out among its neighbors, so the firm got rid of the white brick that was popular back in the 1960s when the tower went up, and made the exterior darker to give it a more contemporary look. It changed all of the window frames as well to complement that new aesthetic.
The renovated lobby — already bright and open — did not require as much work beyond a few nips and tucks. However, there was a mystery smell tenants had been complaining about that AmTrustRE figured out was caused by a ventilation issue. That’s been resolved, much to the olfactory relief of the tenants.
“A lot of the advice we got [as we were planning] was, ‘You don’t need to do this, all you need to do is conference rooms,’ ” Bennett said. “My response was to use the analogy that when you buy an iPhone, the box that it comes in is just as nice as the iPhone itself. My feeling was, as we were looking to reinvent the building, to do something more.”
But it wasn’t just the outside of 360 Lexington Avenue that was revamped. On the eighth floor, tenants will have access to a
hospitality-inspired amenity center that features a lounge, a pantry, a bar and a conference room with seating for more than 20 people. Still under construction is a small gym.
“On the whole, we wanted this to be really the best boutique office building in the Grand Central market,” Bennett said. “The idea was that you should walk into this amenity space and it should feel like you’re walking into a really warm, homey living room.”
To create this homey vibe, AmTrustRE worked with MdeAS Architects — best known for working on buildings in Vornado Realty Trust’s Penn District — to create millwork for the walls, install waffle ceilings, and add rich lighting and dark coloring such as brown and burgundy throughout the space — including the leather chairs and sofas.
“My real goal is providing tenants with the experience that they want, rather than just throwing money at something just because the textbook says this is what you’re supposed to do,” Bennett noted. “And how do you know what’s a good fit for the building? Talk to the tenants. We talk to the tenants and ask, ‘What are your needs? What would make the experience better for you?’ ”
One example of listening to the tenants was when AmTrustRE found out that some keep kosher. So the developer found a snack provider that specializes in kosher offerings.
“We have a nice-sized business and we have a nice portfolio, but we’re still nimble and agile enough to have the opportunity to talk to tenants directly,” Bennett said. “We try to make sure that whatever service it is that they’re looking for — as long as it makes sense and it’s within the budget — we are able to deliver for them.”
Amanda Schiavo can be reached at aschiavo@commercialobserver.com.
