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Twentieth Century office towers cant survive in the Twenty-First on their historic reputations, architectural distinction or landmark status.

Companies today place a higher value on an older propertys contemporary assets such as state-of-the-art systems and high-end amenities that are for tenants use only.

The latest trophy building to complete a transformative repositioning is Harbor Group Internationals 51 W. 52nd St., the fabled former home of CBS known as Black Rock.

It was the first and only office tower by architect Eero Saarinen, who designed the landmarked TWA Terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport.

The $128 million Black Rock project brought the distinctive tower on the East Side of Sixth Avenue a plush, lounge-like tenants-only lobby on the 52d Street side and a modernized public lobby on 51st Street.

But only tenants enjoy the projects fun component — a cellar-level amenity suite including a state-of-the-art fitness center, a yoga room and a cafe.

All the changes helped generate 325,000 square feet in new and renewal leases that brought the towers 900,000 square feet to nearly 90% leased since HGI bought it for $760 million in October 2021 — no small feat after original owner CBS moved most of its offices out a few years ago.

CBS was the most powerful media company in the world when the tower opened in 1964, said Howard Fiddle, head of the CBRE leasing team. It was so ahead of its time with column-free floor plates.

Black Rocks smallish, 25,000 square-foot floor plates, which result from the way the tower is set deeply back from the street line, make it more of a boutique building than is normal on Sixth Avenue. The floors get natural light through floor-to-ceiling windows, Fiddle said.

The towers notable tenants include law firm Wachtell Lipton Rosen & Katz and Canadian pension fund CPPIB, which just moved into the top two floors.

About 135,000 square feet remain available. Asking rents range from $90 per square foot on lower floors to $140 psf on higher ones.

Although not a household name in the city, HGI and its affiliates control a $20 billion investment portfolio in the US and Europe.

Black Rocks rejuvenation belongs to the overall revival of Midtown Sixth Avenue, which appeared to be headed for trouble before the pandemic when some large tenants, CBS among them, announced plans to move away.

But the corridors vacancy rate today is only between ten and eleven percent depending on which market report you follow, compared with a Manhattan-wide average of twenty-plus percent. Much of the corridors strength is due to extraordinary investments major landlords made in their properties.

As weve noted before, the upgrades include Rockefeller Groups top-to-bottom redesign of the former Time + Life tower at 1271 Sixth Ave. and the many improvements to the original Rockefeller Center complex made by Tishman Speyer.

The commercial refinance game is the toughest in town these days. But Williams Equities completed a $155 million, five year CMBS loan for its 28-40 W. 23rd St., a familiar sight to Ladies Mile shoppers for its big Home Depot signs.

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Citi Real Estate Funding is the lender. The new loan will help to fund building improvements and amenities that are to include an updated atrium and skylights and a building-wide roof deck.

A Williams Equities spokesman said the refinancing is in line with our successful, timeless multi-generational strategy.

Office tenants at the 578,105 square-foot 28-40 W. 23rd — once a department store — include numerous creative, digital and tech firms.

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Sources: Red Sox deal Devers to Giants in stunner

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Sources: Red Sox deal Devers to Giants in stunner

The San Francisco Giants are acquiring All-Star slugger Rafael Devers from the Boston Red Sox, sources confirmed to ESPN’s Jeff Passan on Sunday evening.

The Giants are sending starter Jordan Hicks and 23-year-old lefty Kyle Harrison, among others, to Boston in exchange, sources said.

Devers, 28, is in just the second season of a 10-year, $313.5 million contract he signed to stay in Boston in January 2023, however his relationship with the team suffered a significant blow after the star third baseman was reportedly blindsided by a move to designated hitter in the spring.

Tensions flared again last month after Devers refused an offer from the team to move him to first base after starting first baseman Triston Casas was ruled out for the season with a knee injury.

It reached a point where Red Sox owner John Henry met with the disgruntled star, making a rare trip to meet the team on the road and smooth things over after Devers’ pointed comments about the request to switch positions again.

Hicks and Harrison give a pitching-starved Red Sox team more depth on their staff while Devers provides a huge boost to a middling Giants offense.

Devers has more than 200 career home runs to his name and has a .894 OPS for Boston this season.

The deal was first reported by Fansided.

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Ohtani’s pitching return might be coming soon

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Ohtani's pitching return might be coming soon

Shohei Ohtani‘s pitching debut for the Los Angeles Dodgers might be quickly approaching.

Manager Dave Roberts told reporters Sunday that Ohtani would throw another simulated game in the coming days that could “potentially” be his last one, and a source told ESPN’s Buster Olney that Ohtani should join the Dodgers’ rotation “sooner rather than later,” potentially within the week.

Ohtani took a big step forward during his most recent simulated game at Petco Park on Tuesday, throwing 44 pitches over the course of three innings against a couple of lower-level minor league players. Ohtani’s fastball reached the mid- to upper-90s, and he exhibited good command of his off-speed pitches in what amounted to his third time facing hitters. Afterward, Roberts said there was a “north of zero” chance Ohtani could join the rotation before the All-Star break.

Because of his two-way designation, the Dodgers can carry Ohtani as an extra pitcher, which means he can throw two to three innings and have someone pitch after him as a piggyback starter. At this point, it seems that is the Dodgers’ plan.

The Dodgers’ pitching staff has again been plagued by injury, with 14 pitchers on the injured list, including four starting pitchers the team was heavily counting on for 2025 — Blake Snell, Tony Gonsolin, Roki Sasaki and Tyler Glasnow.

If Ohtani returns in July — the likely outcome at this point — he will be 22 months removed from a second repair of his ulnar collateral ligament.

The update isn’t as optimistic for Sasaki. He paused his throwing program and is set for a lengthy layoff. Sasaki has not pitched in a game since May 9 and is not part of the team’s long-term pitching plans this season.

“I think that’s what the mindset should be,” Roberts said. “Being thrust into this environment certainly was a big undertaking for him, and now you layer in the health part and the fact he’s a starting pitcher, knowing what the build-up [required to return] entails … I think that’s the prudent way to go about it.”

Sasaki, 23, went 1-1 with a 4.72 ERA in eight starts after joining the Dodgers from the Pacific League’s Chuba Lotte Marines, averaging less than 4⅓ innings per start. He walked 22 and struck out 24 in 34⅓ innings, and his fastball averaged 95.7 mph, down 3-4 mph from his average in Japan.

Roberts said Sasaki was pain free when he resumed throwing in early June, but the pitcher was shut down after feeling discomfort this past week. Sasaki recently received a cortisone injection in the shoulder; Roberts said no further scans are planned.

“I don’t think it’s pain,” Roberts said. “I don’t know if it’s discomfort, if it’s tightness, if he’s just not feeling strong, whatever the adjective you want to use. That’s more of a question for Roki, as far as the sensation he’s feeling.

“He’s just not feeling like he can ramp it up, and we’re not going to push him to do something he doesn’t feel good about right now.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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Judge 1-for-12 as NY swept: Got to swing at strikes

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Judge 1-for-12 as NY swept: Got to swing at strikes

BOSTON — Aaron Judge blamed himself for swinging at pitches outside the strike zone as the New York Yankees were swept in a three-game series against the Boston Red Sox.

“You got to swing at strikes,” Judge said after going 1-for-12 in the series, which Boston completed with a 2-0 victory on Sunday.

Judge struck out three or more times in three straight games for only the third time in his major league career.

“That usually helps any hitter when you swing at strikes,” Judge added. “Definitely some pitches off the edge or off the edge in, you know, taking some hacks just trying to make something happen.”

Judge had a tying solo homer in the opener Friday night but struck out nine times as the Yankees were swept in a series for the first time this season.

New York scored only four runs in the three games, matching its fewest in a three-game series at Fenway Park, on June 20-22, 1916 and on Sept. 28-30, 1922.

“It’s very hard,” Red Sox manager Alex Cora said of facing Judge. “He’s so good at what he does. We used our fastballs in the right spots, we got some swing and misses.”

“Throughout the years we’ve been aggressive with him,” Cora added. “Sometimes he gets us, sometimes we do a good job with that. It’s always fun to compete against the best, and, to me, he’s the best in the business right now.”

Judge’s major league-leading average dipped to .378.

“I don’t think much of it,” teammate Ben Rice said. “If I could have that guy hitting every single at-bat even if he’s not at his best, I would do it. I’m sure he’ll bounce back. He’ll be all right.”

Judge faced Garrett Whitlock with two on in the eighth Sunday and bounced into an inning-ending double play.

“He’s one of the greatest hitters in the world,” Whitlock said. “It’s special to watch him play and everything. We tried to execute and had some execution this weekend.”

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