Nutter Doubles Its Footprint at 5 Grand Central East in 11,438-SF Lease with The Durst Organization

NEW YORK — Law firm Nutter has doubled its office presence at 5 Grand Central East, signing an 11,438-square-foot lease that adds a full floor to the firm's existing footprint at The Durst Organization's repositioned Midtown Manhattan tower, the landlord announced Aug. 26.

Nutter will occupy the entire 25th floor of the 30-story, Class A building at Third Avenue and East 42nd Street, while simultaneously renewing its existing space on the 27th floor. The firm previously held approximately 5,719 square feet on the 27th floor; the expansion to the 25th floor brings its total leased area to 11,438 square feet. CBRE's Mike Joyce and Trevor Larkin represented Nutter in the transaction. The Durst Organization was represented in-house by Tom Bow, Ashlea Aaron, Bailey Caliban, and Sayo Kamara.

Nutter Cites Growth of New York Practice

Nutter, a full-service law firm founded in Boston in 1879 with offices in New York, California, and Hawaii, advises clients in corporate, intellectual property, litigation, real estate and land use, labor and employment, tax, and private client matters. The firm has been a tenant at 5 Grand Central East since 2022.

"Our New York practice has expanded, and so has our commitment to Grand Central East," said Michael E. Scott, co-managing partner of Nutter. "It's the right location for our clients and our team as we grow, and Durst has been an outstanding partner throughout."

Durst Highlights Grand Central Submarket Demand

Jody Durst, President of The Durst Organization, pointed to the broader leasing environment as context for the deal. "The Manhattan office leasing market is surging, especially for Class A spaces in transit-accessible locations such as Grand Central East," Durst said. "Nutter's decision to expand at 5 Grand Central East reflects the desirability of the area and Durst's long-term investment in our buildings."

5 Grand Central East sits one block east of Grand Central Terminal, providing tenants direct access to MTA subways, Metro-North, and the Long Island Rail Road. The building totals approximately 425,000 square feet across 30 floors and carries LEED Gold certification. Sustainability features include roughly 4,775 square feet of green roofs and double-glazed windows designed to reduce glare and improve thermal comfort. Other tenants in the building include Clune Construction, the New York City headquarters of New York State's Empire State Development agency, and Abacus Group.

$16 Million Capital Program Underway at 5 Grand Central East

The Durst Organization is deploying $16 million in capital improvements at 5 Grand Central East, encompassing a modernized HVAC heating and cooling system, an advanced Building Management System, and a new Emergency Standby Generator System. Across 5 Grand Central East and 11 Grand Central East — formerly 733 Third Avenue — Durst reports $60 million in investments over the last decade.

At the end of 2025, Durst rebranded both properties to reflect the firm's continued focus on the Grand Central submarket. The renaming of 655 Third Avenue to 5 Grand Central East and 733 Third Avenue to 11 Grand Central East established an explicit corridor identity for the two towers. The building was originally constructed in 1958.

Market Context

The lease adds to a pattern of tenant activity in the Grand Central submarket, where transit accessibility and landlord capital investment have drawn renewed interest from professional services firms. Typical floors at 5 Grand Central East run roughly 19,000 square feet, indicating Nutter occupies a subdivided portion of the 25th floor alongside its existing 27th-floor suite. The transaction underscores continued demand from law firms for well-located, amenitized Class A space in Midtown Manhattan.

Sources

The Durst Organization — News Release: Law Firm Nutter Doubles Space at 5 Grand Central East (Aug. 26, 2026)