Highbridge Capital Mgmt. leases 110,000 s/f at LeFrak's 40 West 57th St.

In a midtown office leasing transaction, Highbridge Capital Management, LLC has taken the top five floors comprising 110,000 s/f of space at LeFrak Organization's 34-story office tower at 40 West 57th St. for its new headquarters. Highbridge, which has offices in several midtown buildings, including 9 West 57th St., expects to move into its new facilities in spring of 2009. The deal all but completes the releasing of the seven floors that Bank of America will be vacating at 40 West 57th St. at the end of this year. "Attracting such an outstanding financial organization to our building is a fitting culmination to a painstaking renovation and repositioning effort that has transformed 40 West 57th St. into one of the Plaza District's premiere addresses," said Richard LeFrak, chairman and president of the LeFrak Organization. A Cushman & Wakefield team led by vice chairman Franklin Speyer represented Highbridge Capital while Howard Fiddle, vice chairman of CBRE, who leads the agency leasing team for 40 West 57th St., represented the landlord.