Tishman Speyer Completes $3.5 Billion Refinancing for Rockefeller Center

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Oct 21, 2024, 17:43 ET

Legendary Manhattan Campus Secures Largest Ever CMBS Loan for a Single Office Asset

NEW YORK, Oct. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Tishman Speyer today announced it has successfully refinanced its iconic Rockefeller Center campus via a $3.5 billion CMBS loan, the largest issuance ever for a single office asset.

Bank of America and Wells Fargo served as co-lead managers on the five-year Single Asset Single Borrower (SASB) loan with a fixed interest rate of 6.2265 percent. The proceeds will be used to pay off Rockefeller Center's previous 20-year, $1.7 billion CMBS loan and additional mezzanine financing set to mature in May 2025, and fund reserves for contractual leasing costs.

The legendary Rockefeller Center was built nearly a century ago as a "city within the city." The 7.3 million-square-foot campus encompasses inspired workspaces, multi-level retail, popular attractions, private event spaces, and celebrated dining options, as well as dynamic open spaces including the new 24,000-square-foot park atop Radio City Music Hall. Rockefeller Center is co-owned by Henry Crown & Co, the Crown family's Chicago-based investment fund, and Tishman Speyer.

"We are proud of our stewardship of Rockefeller Center," said Tishman Speyer CEO Rob Speyer. "The lending market's overwhelming response speaks volumes about the success of our redevelopment and their confidence in top performing assets."

The massive refinancing has been secured as Tishman Speyer's comprehensive redevelopment of the renowned 13-building campus nears completion. The expansive reimagining program has cemented Rockefeller Center's status as the most dynamic destination to work, dine, shop, and play in New York City.

"Bank of America is proud to have been able to support Tishman Speyer and lead the refinancing of this most iconic asset," said Jim DeMare, President of Global Markets at Bank of America.

Tishman Speyer's capital improvement program, inspired by the Center's original plans and history, has restored the intent of the Channel Gardens and Rink areas as grand and welcoming entrance points for the public. In early 2020 the firm received approval from the Landmarks Preservation Commission to open the lower-level passageways surrounding the famous Rink, creating a light-filled space that prioritizes efficient pedestrian flow and easing access to skating and public art in the center of campus.

The Rink Level is now home to marquee restaurants from celebrated independent chefs. Le Rock, 5 Acres, Jupiter, Lodi, Naro, Pebble Bar, Smith & Mills and others revamped the campus dining experience, vaulting Rockefeller Center into the highest levels of the city's culinary landscape.

Tishman Speyer has similarly pursued a retail transformation at the Center, reinvigorating its offerings with beloved and distinctive shops helmed by local entrepreneurs alongside global brands, including Lego, Banana Republic, Anthropologie, Michael Kors, Catbird, FAO Schwarz and Nintendo. More recently, Tishman Speyer has welcomed new retailers such as Todd Snyder, Alo, Hill House Home, and McNally-Jackson.

Seventy stories above the plaza, the three-level Top of The Rock observation deck has been reimagined to offer new attractions and dramatically enhance the visitor experience. This month, Tishman Speyer unveiled Skylift, a revolving glass-enclosed platform that elevates visitors nearly 900 feet in the air for unrivaled 360-degree views of the New York City skyline and beyond. The Beam, introduced at Top of the Rock in 2023, invites visitors to recreate the iconic "Lunch Atop a Skyscraper" photo.

Companies located at Rockefeller Center have special access to this unmatched ecosystem of restaurants, retailers, and attractions through Tishman Speyer's pioneering ZO amenity platform. Extraordinary spaces available only to those who work in Tishman Speyer buildings, and their guests, include the ZO Clubhouse on the 33^rd floor of 1 Rockefeller Plaza as well as Radio Park, an exquisite 24,000-square-foot green space on the roof of Radio City Music Hall that has quickly become a favorite destination to relax, collaborate, or socialize.

Rockefeller Center is currently 93 percent leased to such globally renowned firms as Deloitte, Lazard, Christie's, Simon & Schuster, and JP Morgan Chase.

About Tishman Speyer (tishmanspeyer.com)
Tishman Speyer is a leading owner, developer, operator and investment manager of first-class real estate in 36 key markets across the United States, Europe, Asia and Latin America. Our portfolio spans market rate and affordable residential communities, premier office properties and retail spaces, industrial and data center facilities, and mixed-use campuses. We create state-of-the-art life science centers through our Breakthrough Properties joint venture, and foster innovation through our strategic proptech investments. With global vision, on-the-ground expertise and a personalized approach, we foster innovation, quickly adapt to global and local trends and proactively anticipate our customers' evolving needs. By focusing on health and wellness, enlightened placemaking and customer-focused initiatives such as our tenant amenities platform, ZO, and our flexible space and co-working brand, Studio, we tend not just to our physical buildings, but to the people who inhabit them on a daily basis. Since our inception in 1978, Tishman Speyer has acquired, developed, and operated 560 properties, totaling 227 million square feet, with a combined value of nearly $128 billion (U.S.). Our current portfolio includes such iconic assets as Rockefeller Center in New York City, The Springs in Shanghai, TaunusTurm in Frankfurt and the Mission Rock neighborhood currently being realized in San Francisco.