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New York & Tri-State  + Midtown New York  + Office  | 

Vornado to Acquire Office Condo Above Saks Fifth Avenue Flagship

Vornado Realty Trust said Monday it had agreed to purchase the 623 Fifth Ave. office condominium, a 36-story, 382,500-square-foot building situated above the flagship Saks Fifth Avenue department store, for $218 million. Crain’s New York Business reported that the sale by developer Charles Cohen, who last year considered a residential conversion of the office condo, was for less than half the property’s assigned value.

The building is currently 75% vacant. Its new owner intends to “completely reposition and redevelop it into a premier, best-in-class, Class A boutique office building,” Vornado said in a statement. “The fully transformed 623 Fifth Ave. building will complement Vornado’s nearby Plaza District and Park Avenue holdings of 280 Park Ave., 350 Park Ave., 595 Madison Ave., 640 Fifth Ave., 689 Fifth Ave. and 1290 Ave. of the Americas.”  

Vornado expects to close the acquisition in September 2025 and complete the redevelopment for delivery to tenants in 2027.

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About Paul Bubny

Paul Bubny serves as Senior Content Director for Connect Commercial Real Estate, a role to which he brings 16-plus years’ experience covering the commercial real estate industry and 30-plus years in business-to-business journalism. In this capacity, he oversees daily operations while also reporting on both local/regional markets and national trends, covering individual transactions across all property types, as well as delving into broader subject matter. He produces 7-10 daily news stories per day and works with the Connect team and clients to develop longer-form content, ranging from Q&As to thought-leadership pieces. Prior to joining Connect, Paul was Managing Editor for both Real Estate Forum and GlobeSt.com at American Lawyer Media, where he oversaw operations at both publications while also producing daily news and feature-length articles. His tenure in B2B publishing stretches back into the print era, and he has served as Editor in Chief on four national trade publications. Since 1999, Paul has volunteered as the newsletter editor of passenger rail advocacy groups (one national, one local).

  • ◦Sale/Acquisition
  • ◦Development
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