Aby Rosen’s Seaport office tower at 17 State St. bouncing back with new lease deals

Leasing is brisk at 17 State St. near the Seaport since RFR Realty refinanced the harbor-facing, 571,000 square-foot office tower in January. The refi was one of three that RFR head Aby Rosen pulled off on previously strained properties — the other two were retail portions of 670 Sixth Ave. and 150 E. 72nd St.

At 17 State St., which RFR has owned for 25 years, five renewals totaled 68,362 square feet. The largest was for Alphadyne Investment Management, which renewed early on 43,872 square feet.

Rosen, who’s shored up his formerly under-siege empire one property at a time, also signed deals with three new tenants totaling over 12,000 square feet, including AI-powered life insurance tech firm Optifino.

Meanwhile, 17 State launched a new, 4,300 square-foot amenities space on the third floor. The Liberty Lounge and Conference Center boasts a lounge, cafe, library, screening room and ornamental foliage as an homage to nearby Battery Park.

As per CoStar, the tower is 89% leased. Asking rents range from $65 to $75 per square foot.

The reinvestment and repositioning of 5 Penn Plaza continues to pay off for investor-landlord Stephen Haymes. The 1916 structure between West 33rd and 34th streets landed another new tenant — Fireblocks, a blockchain security platform that helps to store, transfer and manage cryptocurrencies and other digital assets.

The firm, which is moving and expanding from 441 Ninth Ave., signed for 35,000 square feet on the entire 23rd floor and part of the penthouse with a wraparound terrace.

The building  boasts a new lobby, open views, an amenities center and a dog-friendly roof terrace,  and is more than 85% leased. Asking rents are in the $70-$80 per square foot range.

A JLL team led by Mitchell Konsker represented the landlord.  Newmark’s Aaron Ellison and Adam Spector repped the tenant.