George Comfort & Sons inks multiple leases at 44 Wall St.

Manhattan, NY George Comfort & Sons, on behalf of the 44 Wall St. ownership, said that lease agreements totaling 18,600 s/f have been signed with both existing and new tenants at the boutique downtown tower.

Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund has signed a 10-year lease for 12,000 s/f on the 10^th floor, the largest of the transactions. Financial Empowerment Fund has been a tenant at 44 Wall St. since 2015 and is relocating within the building from its current 5,600 s/f – more than doubling its space.

In other activity at the property, Street Smarts VR is moving to 3,300 s/f on the 7^th floor. Formerly a subtenant at 44 Wall St., the veteran-owned software firm is expanding and signing a direct lease. Also on the building’s 7^th floor, new tenant GovExec finalized a deal for 3,300 s/f. GovExec, the market-leading sales and marketing intelligence company for government leaders and contractors, is relocating from 61 Broadway.

“We are pleased to continue our relationships with Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund and Street Smarts VR and also to welcome GovExec to our esteemed tenant roster at 44 Wall St.,” said George Comfort & Sons president and CEO Peter Duncan. “This property’s exceptional location as well as its classic design and abundant natural light continue to be a draw, and the multiple extensions and expansions we’re seeing here are a testament to the quality of the building.”

These newly signed deals build on the leasing momentum initiated last year at 44 Wall St. In the summer of 2022, George Comfort & Sons said nearly 32,000 s/f of transactions at the tower were led by advertising agency Joan Creative’s relocation within the building to the 17,000 s/f 12^th floor. Other lease signings included recruiting software firm JobDiva’s move from the 16^th floor to 6,600 s/f on the 4^th floor, financial software firm T-REX’s expansion to 3,300 s/f on the 9^th floor and new tenants Robert Elliot Leslie Architecture and Parliamentarians for Global Action deals for 2,700 and 2,300 s/f, respectively.

George Comfort & Sons, Inc. operates 44 Wall St.on behalf of their partnership with Dallas-based Gaedeke Group, a privately owned commercial real estate investment firm, which acquired the property in March of 2020. The 350,000 s/f building, which is located at the intersection of Wall and William Sts. in one of New York’s most accessible and well-connected areas, illustrates the ongoing transformation of Downtown Manhattan into a center of technology and creativity.

Recent building features added by George Comfort & Sons to improve health and wellness at 44 Wall St. include electrostatic spraying, boosting on-site cleaning staff, implementing additional air filtration measures, updating air purification filters and increasing elevator sterilization. The tower’s UV elevator units are designed to use a special UV light to kill up to 99.96 percent of bacteria, viruses, and molds.

Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund was represented by Darell Handler of the Handler Real Estate Organization. Street Smarts VR was represented by Edward Kent of The Square Foot. GovExec was represented by Edward Mombello of Cushman & Wakefield. Ownership was represented in-house in all transactions by George Comfort & Sons’ Duncan, Matt Coudert and Alexander Bermingham.