Tishman Speyer has completed its acquisition of 148 Lafayette St. for $105.5 million, marking the firm’s first office purchase in the U.S. since 2021 and its first acquisition of New York office space since 2019. Blackstone Real Estate Debt Strategies provided $68.3 million in acquisition financing for the transaction.

The fully leased, 153,000-square-foot boutique office building in SoHo was previously owned by EPIC. Negotiations between the two companies reportedly began two months ago with an initial asking price of approximately $120 million. EPIC initially purchased the property in 2012 for $126.5 million, representing a loss of more than $20 million for the London-based investment firm, in addition to another high-profile discounted office sale.

“148 Lafayette presented us with a compelling opportunity to capitalize on the strengthening New York City office leasing environment by acquiring a top-quality, boutique asset in one of the city’s most dynamic neighborhoods,” said Albert Schmool, managing director at Tishman Speyer. “This acquisition represents the perfect addition to an office portfolio defined by highly amenitized, best-in-class environments in the world’s most sought-after locations.”

Built in 1913 and renovated in 2017, 148 Lafayette St. features 12-foot ceilings, outdoor terraces and a tenant roster of finance, e-commerce and fashion companies. Tishman Speyer plans to upgrade the building’s lobby and elevators while maintaining the same lease arrangements.

The property sits at the corner of Howard Street in prime SoHo, an area known for high-end retail and strong transit connectivity. SoHo has recently emerged as one of the most sought-after areas for office space in Manhattan.

Zooming out, the borough is showing signs of a turnaround in terms of lease activity and acquisitions, primarily due to its sizable trophy inventory. For example, earlier in the year, Amazon expanded its presence in Manhattan with a 193,000-square-foot lease at 237 Park Ave., as well as the purchase of 522 Fifth Ave. for $456 million. In February, Blackstone also closed its first Manhattan office investment in three years with the purchase of a 49% stake in 1345 Avenue of the Americas with $850 million of commercial mortgage-backed securities.