Ogilvy Signs Lease for 636 Eleventh Avenue

NEW YORK, Jan. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Ogilvy New York will move its entire New York agency and New York-based operating units to 636 Eleventh Avenue in 2009. Ogilvy will occupy all of the 11-story, 554,800 sq. ft building that encompasses the entire eastern block on 11th Avenue between West 46th and West 47th Streets in a long term lease signed with owner, The Hakimian Organization and its partners Peykar Brothers Realty & Gorjian Properties.

The building will carry the "Ogilvy" name and offers unobstructed 360 degree window views of the Hudson River and Midtown Manhattan. Ogilvy has hired award winning architect, Gensler, to reconfigure and design the space according to the agency's specifications. The building will house all of Ogilvy's New York based companies and employees in one building, including Ogilvy & Mather Advertising, OgilvyOne, OgilvyInteractive, Neo@Ogilvy, OgilvyPR, OgilvyAction, the Brand Integration Group, RedWorks and Ogilvy Healthworld.

In commenting on the new building, Chris Wall, Vice Chairman, Creative, Ogilvy New York said, "This is the ultimate creative assignment -- the chance to remake Ogilvy both physically and spiritually for the way the world is going to work tomorrow and ten years from tomorrow. A new neighborhood, a new space, a new way of working -- it's like winning a huge new account. Now all we have to figure out is how to be a good client."

Ogilvy expects to move to the new space in the spring of 2009. The location is close to a long-proposed extension of the number seven New York Subway Line and several new developments including a luxury hotel by Kimpton.

"This lease confirms the importance of the far West Side as a vibrant and exciting neighborhood," said Ben Hakimian, a principal of The Hakimian Organization. "This building will become the focus of a whole new creative center in New York."

The building at 636 Eleventh Avenue was built in 1913 and originally housed the Auerbach Chocolate factory. Ogilvy is calling its new space the "Candy Factory." It has high ceilings on the first floor, a courtyard and a roof-top terrace that Ogilvy plans to design as a garden space.

The agency will work with Gensler and other partners to bring the best energy efficient attributes to the space. "Sustainability is a key priority for Ogilvy," said Gunther Schumacher, Ogilvy's Chief Business Operations Officer. "We are working very closely with The Hakimian Organization to make the 'Candy Factory' a green building and get it LEED certified."

Vice Chairman Mitchell Konsker, Executive Vice President Paul Glickman and Associate Jack Cohen of Cushman & Wakefield represented The Hakimian Organization as the exclusive leasing agent. Ogilvy & Mather was represented by Gregory Tosko and Casey Hirschhorn of CB Richard Ellis.

Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide

Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide (http://www.ogilvy.com), part of WPP Group plc (NASDAQ: WPPGY) , is one of the largest marketing communications networks in the world, with 497 offices in 125 countries, specializing in advertising, relationship and interactive marketing, public relations, sales promotion, and related services. The agency services Fortune Global 500 companies including American Express, BP, DuPont, Ford, GSK, Gillette, IBM, Kimberly-Clark, Kodak, Kraft, Mattel, Morgan Stanley, Nestle, Unilever, and YUM. The hallmark of the agency's brand-building capabilities is 360 Degree Brand Stewardship(R), a holistic look at communications, using what is necessary from each discipline to build a brand.

The Hakimian Organization

The Hakimian Organization is a vertically integrated real estate company that builds, owns, and manages residential and commercial properties throughout the New York metropolitan area. By selecting projects carefully, planning and building meticulously and managing creatively, the company has established a formidable array of full service capabilities. In addition to 636 Eleventh Avenue, current Hakimian Organization projects under development include: 75 Wall Street, a former office tower being converted to luxury condominiums and the first Andaz, by Hyatt Hotel in the United States; West 18th Street, a block-through luxury rental project which includes two separate buildings in the historic Flatiron district; 250 West 49th Street, a proposed high-rise in Manhattan's Theater District; and The Tuscany Estates, a gated community of 30 high-end mini-mansions in the prestigious Dix Hills neighborhood of Long Island.