1271 Ave of the Americas, Time-Life building

The office tower at 1271 Avenue of the Americas was known for a long time as the Time-Life Building, as it used to house the headquarters of Time Inc. It was also the first expansion of Rockefeller Center across Sixth Avenue.

Designed by Harrison, Abramovitz & Harris in 1958, the tower is famous for its remarkable lobby and design, which represents a rare example of mid-century modernism. The lively decorated lobby was even dubbed an interior landmark by the New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The Time-Life building has also become synonymous with the glamor of the 1960s, especially since it was featured as the setting for the advertising agency of the popular TV series Mad Men.

The Midtown Manhattan tower underwent a makeover a few years back, spearheaded by Pei Cobb Freed & Partners, which added a new exterior facade, upgraded plaza, and reimagined lobby design. Nowadays the tower is home to various high-profile tenants looking for top-notch, Class A office space in the heart of the prestigious Plaza District.

2 MSF of Class A+ Office Space Available

The 48-story, 2 million-square-foot tower at 1271 Avenue of the Americas is owned by the Rockefeller Group. The Class A+ office tower also includes roughly 20,000 square feet of retail space, as well as on-site conference space and a 650-seat auditorium. Following the extensive renovation efforts, the building is also LEED Gold-certified for its energy saving features. Employees working within the Plaza District building have 24/7 access to the premises, with security personnel onsite at all times. Each floor contains in excess of 29,000 square feet of office space, and CBRE handles all leasing efforts on behalf of the landlord.

Getting to and from 1271 Avenue of the Americas

A major benefit for tenants is direct access to the Rockefeller Center underground shopping concourse and the B, D, F and M subway lines. If you take a train or bus into Manhattan, Grand Central Station, The Port Authority and Penn Station are easily accessible. In addition, the Time Life Building is one of the few office buildings in the neighborhood with a parking garage right in the basement.

Who is renting office space at 1271 Avenue of the Americas?

Various high-profile tenants are on the 1271 Avenue of the Americas roster, including Major League Baseball, AIG, Fidelity, Mizuho Bank, H.I.G. Capital, while the ground-floor studio houses SportsNet New York and CNBC Squawk Box.

The building at 1271 Avenue of the Americas used to house Time Inc., the publisher of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated magazines. The corporation occupied 21 full floors, until it moved to the Brookfield Place complex in Lower Manhattan in 2014.

How much is the rent price for office space at 1271 Avenue of the Americas?

Office asking rents at 1271 Avenue of the Americas are some of the priciest in New York City, as Midtown Manhattan rents reached a post-recession high of $87 per square foot in 2019. The prestigious Plaza District has always been a popular destination for office-using tenants in industries like finance, law, media, and communications. The close proximity to Grand Central and Penn Station, coupled with the plethora of dining, shopping, cultural and entertainment options in this section of Midtown, make the office tower formerly known as the Time-Life Building an appealing option for all types of businesses.