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Construction commences on 55 Hudson Yards

Joint venture marks full capitalization of office tower 55 Hudson Yards positioned on Hudson Park & Boulevard with convenient access to new No. 7 subway station; delivery for tenant fit-out in 2017

Mitsui Fudosan America, Inc. (MFA), the U.S. operations of Japan’s largest real estate company, Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group today announced that they have partnered on the full capitalization of 55 Hudson Yards and commenced groundbreaking on the trophy office tower.

Located at 33rd Street and 11th Avenue on Hudson Park & Boulevard, 55 Hudson Yards is the latest addition to the commercial office tower collection in the renowned 28-acre Hudson Yards development. The investment represents a new trophy property in the expanding portfolio of global real estate leader Mitsui Fudosan Group. 55 Hudson Yards is advantageously positioned at the intersection of Hudson Yards, the High Line and Hudson Park & Boulevard.

The entrance to the building is adjacent to the new No. 7 subway extension, which connects to every other major subway line as well as Grand Central Station. Penn Station is also less than a five-minute walk away. The fully capitalized, anticipated LEED Gold, 51-story, 1.3-million-gross-square-foot building is expected to be ready for tenant fit-out in 2017.

“We are pleased to partner with Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group on 55 Hudson Yards, which we consider a new trophy property in the Mitsui Fudosan U.S. and global portfolios,” said Yukio Yoshida, president and CEO of MFA. “Related and Oxford are experienced developers with a proven track record for delivering world-class projects, making them ideal partners. Hudson Yards is fast becoming one of the most desirable locations for top-echelon tenants, offering an unparalleled modern, mixed-use environment. We are looking forward to being a central part of the success of the Hudson Yards development.”

Stephen M. Ross, chairman and founder of Related Companies, said, “We are thrilled to partner with Mitsui Fudosan America and commence construction on 55 Hudson Yards. Mitsui Fudosan is one of the world's most established real estate developers and investors and their partnership on this project further solidifies the appeal of Hudson Yards with both global capital and global companies. Hudson Yards is already the future home of Coach, Inc., L'Oréal USA, SAP and Time Warner Inc. and we have seen incredibly strong interest in 55 Hudson Yards. Featuring the best in culture, dining, shopping and more, the commercial office space, steps from transportation and lush, expansive green space, Hudson Yards sets a new standard for working in New York City.”

Blake Hutcheson, CEO of Oxford Properties Group, said, “The forward momentum at Hudson Yards is evident to everyone who walks by the development. Oxford is pleased to join Related in partnering with Mitsui Fudosan and commencing construction on 55 Hudson Yards. Each organization has deep experience and incredible portfolios of past developments and investments individually, and this new partnership will benefit from bringing the three together for the first time.”

The design of 55 Hudson Yards is defined by its indoor-outdoor spaces, SoHo and early modernism-inspired exterior design and exceptionally efficient interior space planning. A. Eugene Kohn and Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates (KPF) served as the design architect on the building.

A. Eugene Kohn, chairman of Kohn Pedersen Fox Associates and design architect of 55 Hudson Yards, said, “55 Hudson Yards provides a strong, elegant and extremely rational form within the Hudson Yards site. While its neighboring buildings are more sculptural, the building achieves its beauty through its unique gunmetal grey façade and proportions. Simple in form, but rich in detail, the building was inspired by the historic cast iron architecture found throughout SoHo, and aims to relate to the neighborhoods of Chelsea and the Meatpacking District adjacent to Hudson Yards. 55 Hudson Yards was designed to create an extremely workable and efficient office building which is suitable for a variety of tenants both large and small.”

MFA has a long history of investing in properties in the New York market, highlighted by ownership of its trophy office tower in the heart of midtown at 1251 Avenue of the Americas, along with the 26-story boutique Class A trophy office building at 527 Madison Avenue and other notable commercial and residential properties. MFA’s investment in 55 Hudson Yards advances Mitsui Fudosan Group’s global expansion under its “Innovation 2017” strategy to diversify the company’s nearly $39 billion portfolio by increasing the allocation of the international holdings relative to the company’s domestic holdings in Japan.

“Our investment in 55 Hudson Yards comes as part of a long track record in the U.S. and around the world of selecting both properties and joint venture partners that exemplify excellence,” added Mr. Yoshida.

One of the few office buildings in the entire city opening directly onto a park, the main lobby of 55 Hudson Yards sits at the southwestern edge of the city’s new Hudson Park. With a unique buffer of green space, light and air around the building, 55 Hudson Yards offers a welcoming arrival experience for building tenants and visitors. The architects built on the appeal of this great outdoor space by designing a dramatic terrace overlooking the park on the building’s tenth floor. The ability to provide gracious indoor-outdoor space continues up the building as the design offers the ability to carve private, double-height terrace spaces into the tower in flexible locations. These tower terraces allow tenants and guests to enjoy an outdoor experience surrounded by sweeping views of the Hudson River and the Midtown skyline without having to leave the building.

The façade of 55 Hudson Yards was inspired by the revitalized High Line district, the manufactured cast iron exterior of SoHo commercial buildings and the best of early modernism. While the building references the solid exterior of the city’s classic cast iron buildings, it also shares their expansive windows and interior light.

55 Hudson Yards will offer floor-to-ceiling glass throughout the building, bringing light streaming across the entirety of each floor and helping to promote the open skyline and river views it enjoys. The interior planning of the building was conceived after extensive study of the space needs of professional service, financial, creative and technology firms. The plan starts with a tight, efficient core configuration that eliminates all openings from its perimeter. The flexibility of the usable space on each floor is limitless and floor-to-ceiling glass, 35-foot lease spans and the absence of any corner columns imbue the floors with a sense of light and air through clear-finished, extra-high, 10-foot ceilings.

The design has multiple opportunities to showcase tenants' brands and is designed to meet every business need with premium amenities, destination dispatch elevators and designated car drop off access. At a height of over 780 feet, the unobstructed views over the Hudson River and of Midtown will be stunning throughout the tower floors.

Hudson Yards is the largest private real estate development in the history of the United States and the largest development in New York City since Rockefeller Center. The 28-acre site will include more than 17 million square feet of commercial and residential space, more than 100 shops and restaurants, approximately 5,000 residences, a unique cultural space, 14 acres of public open space, a 750-seat public school and a 175-room luxury hotel—all offering unparalleled amenities for residents, employees and guests. It is anticipated that more than 24 million people will visit Hudson Yards every year.

For more information about 55 Hudson Yards, please visit 55HudsonYards.com or hudsonyardsnewyork.com. High resolution renderings, an animated virtual walk-through of the building and interview clips with architect A. Eugene Kohn are available upon request or can be downloaded at hudsonyardsnewyork.com.

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About Mitsui Fudosan America, Inc.: 
Mitsui Fudosan America, Inc. (MFA) is a real estate investment and development company headquartered in New York City and is the U.S. subsidiary of Mitsui Fudosan Co., Ltd. – Japan’s largest publicly traded real estate company. MFA’s history in the United States dates back to the early 1970’s. Since its inception, MFA has acquired and developed numerous office, multifamily and hospitality properties in major markets throughout the U.S. including: 1251 Avenue of the Americas in Midtown Manhattan; The Homer Building in Washington D.C.; Figueroa at Wilshire in Los Angeles and the renowned Halekulani Hotel in Waikiki, Hawaii. In addition to its significant portfolio of office buildings, MFA recently expanded its development platform, with several office and multifamily development projects launched in New York, San Francisco, and Washington D.C. For more information please visit www.mfamerica.com. Media Contact Montieth Illingworth [email protected] 212-284-7625

About Related:
Related Companies is the most prominent privately-owned real estate firm in the United States. Formed over 40 years ago, Related is a fully-integrated, highly diversified industry leader with experience in virtually every aspect of development, acquisitions, management, finance, marketing and sales. Headquartered in New York City, Related has offices and major developments in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, South Florida, Abu Dhabi, São Paulo and Shanghai and boasts a team of approximately 2,500 professionals. The Company’s existing portfolio of real estate assets, valued at over $20 billion, is made up of best-in-class mixed-use, residential, retail, office and affordable properties in premier high-barrier-to-entry markets. Related has developed preeminent mixed-use projects such as Time Warner Center in New York and CityPlace in West Palm Beach and is currently developing the 28-acre Hudson Yards project on Manhattan’s west side. Related also manages approximately $3 billion of equity capital on behalf of sovereign wealth funds, public pension plans, multi-managers, endowments, and family offices. For more information about Related Companies please visit www.related.com. Media Contact Joanna Rose [email protected] 212-801-3902

About Oxford Properties Group:
Oxford Properties Group is a global platform for real estate investment, development and management, with more than 1,400 employees and $20 billion of real assets that it manages for itself and on behalf of its co-owners and investment partners. Established in 1960, Oxford has regional offices in Toronto, London and New York, each with investment, development and management professionals possessing deep real estate expertise and local market insight. Oxford’s portfolio includes approximately 50 million square feet of office, retail, industrial, multi-family and hotel properties, primarily located in Canada, the UK and the US. Recently completed development projects include the 1.2-million-square-foot AAA Centennial Place office complex in Calgary, the landmark Watermark Place development on the River Thames in London, the full redevelopment of 111 Richmond West and the Richmond Adelaide Centre in Toronto, as well as a significant expansion of Yorkdale Mall in that city. For more information about Oxford visit www.oxfordproperties.com. Media Contact Claire McIntyre [email protected] 416-350-4734

Contacts

Mitsui Fudosan America:
Montieth Illingworth
(646) 864-3080
[email protected]

Oxford Properties Group:
Claire McIntyre
(416) 350-4734
[email protected]