February 2011
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Fifth Avenue Towers, Women Managers Win Big at the "Oscars of the Industry"

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It was a night when records were shattered and the competition was at its keenest in years—the 2010-11 BOMA/NY Pinnacle Awards, held February 9th, sent home the prized statuettes with 14 winners representing American icons, dramatically repositioned pre-war buildings, America’s most sustainable office tower and building teams led by more women than ever before.

Fifth Avenue was the address of choice for winners: L&L Holdings’ 200 Fifth claimed Renovated Building honors, (dubbed the Reinvented Building to reflect the massive scope of nominee renovations); MetLife’s 575 Fifth took home honors for its repositioning of the L’Oreal headquarters; and SL Green Realty Corp.’s 609 Fifth, affectionately known as the "little building that could", took home the first Pinnacle ever in a new category, Operating Office Building,100,000 to 249,999 sf.

One of the most anticipated awards and the one that crowns the evening—Operating Office Building Over 1 million sf—went to the crown jewel of Park Avenue, Monday Properties’ 230 Park, amid stiff competition. 230 Park also broke some records of its own—the first winning building in its category to be managed by a woman and the first to win an Historical Building Pinnacle (2005-06) and return to win Operating Office Building.

LEED Platinum Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park won both the Earth and New Construction Awards—another Pinnacle first—and Rockefeller Center picked up two statuettes for 30 Rockefeller Plaza as Historical Building, and Director Larry Giuliano as Manager of the Year, Over 10 years of experience.

Held at Chelsea Piers before a record-breaking crowd of 650, the winners were unveiled in an Oscar-style ceremony. They are:

Outstanding Local Member of the Year -  Morris Wiesenberg, RPA, RFR Realty
Senior Managing Director, Compliance Officer, Property Manager, Sergeant and Supervisor. Morris Wiesenberg has held all these titles during his four-decade career, but the title that most will remember is the one that keeps him at the head of the class—Teacher. He’s devoted thousands of hours to teaching courses for the BOMI RPA, FMA and SMT designations, chairs BOMA/NY’s Professional Development Committee and serves on the Preparedness and Scholarship Committees. Previously with the CUNY Research Foundation and Newmark & Company Real Estate, Inc. and now at RFR Realty, LLC, he oversees a 1.5 million-sf portfolio of premier properties even as he continues to teach, mentor and inspire.

Historical Building -  30 Rockefeller Plaza

Owner: RCPI Landmark Properties, LLC.; Management Firm: Tishman Speyer; Property Manager: David Berk 

30 Rockefeller Plaza was conceived as the heart of a reborn New York—and 80 years on, it’s a picture- 
postcard of the best of landmark New York, one of the finest examples of urban master planning and an urban world tourist destination second to none.

In its workaday role as a broadcasting hub and headquarters center, it’s a master jobs generator, just as it was when it rose during the Great Depression.

Its contributions became precedent—the first skyscraper to have rooftop gardens, emphasize light and air in tenant spaces, sponsor American artists to create history-making interiors, provide high-speed elevator service and package it all in a design emphasizing quality while focusing on functionality. The daring concept behind this City and National landmark remains unmatched in the world of commerce today; 30 Rockefeller Plaza still soars into the skyline as one of the great American masterpieces.

New Construction - Bank of America at One Bryant Park

Owner: One Bryant Park LLC, a joint venture between The Durst Organization and Bank of America; Management Firm: Royal Realty Corp.;  Property Manager: Don Parry

The famed 19th Century Crystal Palace in Bryant Park has been recreated today  a few hundred feet away from the original site in the faceted crystal façade of Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park. The tower soars 1,198 feet to the top of its spire; at its base, it engages the public in a 40-ft high, light-flooded lobby stretching from 42nd to 43rd Streets along Sixth Avenue. World class architectural design is matched by one-of-a-kind innovations, including a cascading greywater/ rainwater capture system that acts as an internal reservoir for re-use, and thermal recapture and ice storage manufacturing processes, among others. Though it is separated from its inspiration by two centuries, the tower, New York’s first to achieve LEED Platinum, heralds a new age.

Civic Betterment -  HeartShare Human Services of New York

HeartShare, which opened in 1914 to help children leaving the orphanage for life on their own, has adapted itself to modern day needs and today offers foster care, and its adaptive ability has been its model of service ever since. Today it offers family counseling, assistance for those with developmental disabilities, housing and case management for people with HIV/AIDS, adult services, energy grants through Keyspan and Con Edison, and free cell service through Virgin Mobile.

Earth Award  Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park

Owner: One Bryant Park LLC, a joint venture between The Durst Organization and Bank of America; Management Firm: Royal Realty Corp.;  Property Manager: Don Parry

Crystalline and sweeping in design, the 2.1 million-sf Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park is one of the world's most environ-mentally advanced skyscrapers. Its unique sculptural surface of crisp folds and precise vertical lines is animated by the movement of the sun and the moon; its transparent skin and floor-to-ceiling windows flood the interiors with light.

Yet that magical skin allows in more daylight with less solar heat gain. Inside the mechanics are sustainability innovations such as an on-site 4.6 MW CHP plant that also recaptures thermal energy, ice storage that churns out 7,500 tons of ice a night for daytime cooling, roof and multi-floor greywater capture that is reprocessed for use in water closets and cooling tower make-up, underfloor ventilation for personal cooling, and much more

Henry J. Muller Achievement Award: Recognizing Vision for New York -  The High Line

Much of Manhattan’s last elevated train, which ran 13 miles up the West Side and included The High Line, was torn down in the1960’s, closing the chapter on the borough’s industrial past. But a vestige of the once-mighty railway remained in Chelsea and in 1980, it shipped its last cargo—three carloads of frozen turkeys.

Property owners lobbied to pull it down; neighborhood residents rallied to keep it up, challenging demolition in court and winning. By the late 90’s, Robert Hammond and Joshua David, who would go on to set the overarching vision for one of the world’s most unusual parks, began a crusade to recreate the old rail line as a public amenity. Ten years later The High Line opened to the public from Gansevoort to 20th Streets with miles of urban flowering grassland, where the blooms change every month.   

Manager of the Year: 3-10 Years of Experience -  William D. Vazquez, 4 New York Plaza

William Vazquez is known as a professional with superb communications and project management skills, a mastery of detail and organization, and strategic thinking and problem-solving capabilities. Starting in 1985, Bill gained first-hand knowledge of operations as Day Foreman at 425 Park Avenue, where he worked until moving to ABM Corporation as Manager of Life Safety and Emergency Response.

 He remained there until 2006, when CB Richard Ellis, Inc. recruited him as Assistant Building Manager for Beacon’s trophy building at 32 Old Slip. During his four years there, he upgraded services and implemented new risk management, emergency preparedness and continuity planning programs, while reducing operating expenses and increasing income. At 4 New York Plaza as Real Estate Manager, Bill continues to win kudos. Owner Harbor Group Management’s Regional Vice President Jeremy Voigtmann sums up his faith in Bill as follows: "...above all, he upholds the ideals and values of his company and possesses moral and ethical values that are second to none."

Manager of the Year: Over 10 Years of Experience  -  Lawrence P. Giuliano, Sr.,RPA/FMA/SMA/SMT, Director, Rockefeller Center
Larry Giuliano began working at Rockefeller Center in the summer of 1976 as a security guard; four decades later, he is responsible for an American treasure—the entire Rockefeller Center complex.

On his journey to the top, Larry managed such icons as One, Ten, 45 and 50 Rockefeller Plaza; 1260 and 1270 Avenue of the Americas; and 600, 610 and 620 Fifth Avenue. He heads tenant retention efforts; oversees repair, maintenance and construction; coordinates Energy Conservation Day; oversees the blood drives responsible for 10,000 pints in donations; prepares all budgets, and gives private tours to business leaders. From Atlas to Prometheus, every piece of the complex’s artistic heritage has been woven into Larry’s unique, behind-the-scenes tours.

Of his many roles, he is most proud of training new assistant property managers through what his proteges call "Giuliano University." His work as mentor and manager is best characterized by Tishman Speyer’s Senior Director Thomas K. Lloyd: "Larry exudes a moral and ethical standard that is infectious. I am proud to have him on my team."

Corporate Facility -  575 Fifth Avenue

Owner: Metropolitan Life Insurance Company; Management Firm: Cushman & Wakefield, Inc.; Property Manager: Robert W. Singleton

Once the site of the Korvettes flagship, 575 Fifth is now an elegant 35-story office tower repositioned as the headquarters of L’Oreal USA that has helped re-establish Fifth Avenue as a viable headquarters location. A 4-year renovation had transformative results: a light-filled lower façade with expansive retail, a spacious Lobby and Atrium, and L’Oreal branding in the Lobby and over the building entrance.

Heavy base walls were replaced with a curtainwall of white fritted shadow boxes, clear glass and floor-to-ceiling windows providing Avenue vistas. The Lobby and adjacent public Atrium are bright, airy spaces finished in white marble, clear or white fritted glass and stainless steel accents. L’Oreal’s offices showcase the firm’s marketplace stature with dramatic brand color schemes and art spotlighting products and spokespersons.

Renovated Building  -  200 Fifth Avenue

Owner/Management Firm: L&L Holding Company, LLC; Property Manager: Herb Gonzalez

In 2007, this 102-year-old landmark had reached the end of its lifecycle when new owner L&L Holdings had a golden vision: renovate it roof-to-subbasement as a model of sustainability. Today it is LEED Gold-Core & Shell and the world headquarters of Grey Advertising and Tiffany and Co.—its two office tenants— are Gold LEED-CI.

More than $135 million was invested to rethink, rebuild or build new an all-new interior including a lobby and Atrium where none existed before; restrooms, security, engineering and mechanical infrastructure.

At the heart of this massive repositioning is a 14-story open air Courtyard without equal in New York, a treefilled oasis of multi-leveled seating with vines climbing to the roof. But 200 Fifth’s crowning glory is on its roof, where restaurant sensation Eataly is creating a microbrewery with a retractable roof, and Grey Advertising hosts client and company meetings in a sleek presentation venue open to the stars.

Operating Office Building: 100,000-249,999 sf  -  609 Fifth Avenue

Owner: 609 Owners LLC/SL Green Realty Corp.; Management Firm: SL Green Realty Corp.; Property Manager: Patricia Revellese

Amid Fifth Avenue’s skyline of glass and steel is 609 Fifth, which has retained its signature height of 14 stories and design integrity since it was built in 1925 as a department store.

It rises above a six-story base and steps back another six times to culminate in a penthouse topped by two turrets--a unique profile in today's corridors of steel and stone.

The façade is cream limestone and brick, with terra cotta detailing on its setbacks. The welcoming, L-shaped lobby has a 20-foot high concierge area and is finished in limestone, marble and antique brass. Office floors provide the corporate environment required by today’s tenants. But the building’s finest asset is the personal attention and commitment of the building team, which delivers a level of service rivaling that of any trophy office building.

Operating Office Building: 250,000-499,999 sf  -  1350 Broadway

Owner: 1350 Broadway Associates LLC, Supervised by Malkin Holdings LLC; Management Firm: Newmark Knight Frank; Property Manager: Diane L. Fields, RPA

1350 Broadway, the full-block building known as the Herald Square Building, takes its trapezoidal shape from the intersections of 36th Street, Sixth Avenue, Broadway and 35th Street.

Upon acquiring control in 2006, Malkin Properties undertook a comprehensive $53 million turnaround to make this unique garment center structure into a modern, vital, Class A building.  Overall, 1350 is supported by a 4-story limestone base, is shaped by a series of clean, geometric setbacks, and all four facades enjoy abundant light and air. The upper stories are adorned with decorative monochromatic terra cotta panels. Throughout, the building follows sustainable standards for all interior construction and building operations.

Operating Office Building: 500,000-1,000,000 sf  -  450 Lexington Avenue

Owner: Lexington Operating Partners, LLC; Management Firm: CB Richard Ellis, Inc.; Property Manager: Terence W. Fraser, CPM

When developed in 1989, 450 Lexington solved decades-long problems and created new opportunities: it preserved the landmarked Grand Central Post Office by incorporating it into the tower’s base, delivered revenue to the cash-strapped US Post Office, created or preserved more than 5,000 jobs in the Grand Central area and made a 40-story-high contribution to the New York skyline.

The 32-story building is clad in granite, culminating in a tower of metal and glass topped by an illuminated crown. Among its most distinctive features is the Garden Lobby, defined by its bay windows, Anegre mahogany paneled walls, marble columns and an outdoor garden.

Operating Office Building: Over 1 Million sf  -   230 Park Avenue

Owner: W2007 Monday 230 Park Owner, LLC; Management Firm: Monday Properties; Property Manager: Caroline M. Molloy, RPA/LEED AP

Built by the NY Central Railroad in the late 1920’s, 230 Park was designed as the keystone of Terminal City--a highly ambitious development that would have rivalled Rockefeller Center in scope. The 1.3 million-sf limestone and brick tower, with 15-story wings astride the Avenue and built in a monumental style to symbolize the railroad's might, was proclaimed an instant landmark.

Eighty years later, it became a New York City landmark in the 1980’s and a landmark of progress today—the City’s first and oldest building to be Gold LEED-EB and Energy Star® certified.

It has successfully blended history with 21st Century technology through a 6-year, $70 million renovation encompassing the entire facade and key building systems. Guests are greeted in a new visitor’s center, and the restored elevator cabs feature their original Chinese red and bronze ornamentation. In tribute to the tower’s railroad heritage, stunning murals of the famed 20th Century Express have been installed in the landmark lobby, known for its exquisite marble and bronze details. Crowning all is the gold-leafed cupola that has made the graceful tower the Crown Jewel of Park Avenue for two centuries.