Roth and Radmin of Friedman-Roth represent seller in $8 million sale of 256 Fifth Avenue; Inglese of Friedman-Roth represents buyer, lawyer Geragos

Friedman-Roth Realty Services LLC has brokered the sale of 256 Fifth Ave. Located in the Flatiron District between East 28th and East 29th Sts., the six-story, 12,960 s/f commercial building, is comprised of 2,000 s/f of retail space on the ground floor and 10,960 s/f on the upper floors. There are 11,700 s/f of additional rights available for development. The property was delivered vacant at the time of closing and the building sold for $8 million. The purchaser, an entity controlled by the internationally known trial lawyer Mark Geragos, plans to renovate the interior of the building and then occupy a portion of the upper floors for the New York branch of his law firm, Geragos & Geragos. Friedman-Roth managing partners Eric Roth and Joel Radmin represented the seller while Giuseppe Inglese, also of Friedman-Roth, procured the purchaser. Geragos is known to be one of California's "Super Lawyers" and he has represented some of the most prominent figures in the world. His client list includes Winona Ryder, Nicole Ritchie, Chris Brown, Sean Combs and pop icon Michael Jackson. The well-known furniture designer Charles Baudouine purchased the land in 1892 and commissioned architects Alfred Zucker and John Edelman to design the building. Construction was completed in 1893. The building was immediately recognized for both its Moorish Revival design style and the intricate terracotta façade comprised of columns of banded lace, arabesque twine and rounded arches that are capped with Gothic points. The building continues to be recognized for its beauty and has been cited in the AIA Guide to New York City as a "Venetian-Gothic phantasmagoria in terracotta."