Private Equity Firm Atairos Expands to 22K-SF Office at the Lever House

Private equity firm Atairos is moving its offices from Rockefeller Center to the landmark Lever House, and more than doubling its space in the process.

Atairos, which provides long-term capital to its business partners, has signed a 10-year lease for 22,000 square feet at WatermanCLARK and Brookfield Properties’ 390 Park Avenue, according to Crain’s New York Business, which first reported the news.

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The asking rent was unclear, but a report from Newmark found office rents in Midtown averaged $80.50 per square foot during the third quarter of 2024.

The deal represents a relocation and expansion for Atairos, which will leave its roughly 10,000-square-foot office at Rockefeller Center’s 620 Fifth Avenue for the recently renovated Lever House. It’s unclear when the move will take place.

Cushman & Wakefield (CWK)’s Evan Algier and Mark Weiss brokered the deal for the tenant, while CBRE (CBRE)’s Alexander Benisatto and Peter Turchin represented the landlords.

C&W and CBRE declined to comment, while spokespeople for Atairos and the landlords did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Lever House opened in 1952 as the headquarters of soap company Lever Brothers. In 1982, the steel and glass Modernist structure was declared a landmark by New York City’s Landmarks Preservation Commission. 

WatermanClark and Brookfield purchased Lever House from troubled landlord RFR Holding in 2020, Crain’s reported. In 2023, the new owners completed $100 million worth of renovations at the 21-story office building, including a new lobby and hospitality suite called the Lever Club.

Other tenants of the building between East 53rd and East 54th streets include investment group Northern Trust, energy company Quantum Energy Partners and Italian restaurant Casa Lever in ground-floor retail space.

Isabelle Durso can be reached at idurso@commercialobserver.com.