A 15-storey office building on Eighth Avenue in the Chelsea area of Manhattan is now owned by the company, as well as being partly occupied by its employees.
There have been few larger office space acquisitions in New York in recent years, with the building in question covering an entire block of Manhattan real estate and costing a total of close to $2 billion.
Google’s bosses in the city are very pleased with the deal and have noted that their presence in New York began ten years ago with just a single employee at a branch of Starbucks Coffee.
“Like the city, our New York office is a melting pot of cultures and ideas – it’s home to Googlers from more than 35 countries who speak more than 40 languages,” commented David Radcliffe, Google’s vice president of real estate and workplace services.
“They live in the five boroughs and spread across the tri-state area. We’re excited to continue to build our presence here.”
With over two and a half million square feet of commercial space at 111 Eighth Avenue, Google has acquired a building with more office space than even the Empire State Building, the iconic New York City skyscraper.
Last week, the Western Mail in Wales reported that its Assembly Government is to move its New York-based staff from offices in the Chrysler Building to less expensive premises alongside the UK’s Trade and Investment team in office space on Third Avenue.
Meanwhile, a report from commercial property analyst CB Richard Ellis recently noted that office space in the Scottish city of Edinburgh is more expensive per square foot than equivalent space in Manhattan, New York.
Editor’s notes: Other high-profile tenants at 111 Eighth Avenue include AT&T, Equinix, MetLife, Nike Inc. and WebMD.
The property also offers 14,000 square feet of retail space that is occupied by various banks, a Banana Republic store and a Starbucks.
Firmly establishing itself in the Chelsea district, Google also bought the Chelsea Market building across the street from 111 for $2.4 billion in 2018.