DISPLACED from its Church Street base by the 9/11 attacks, the Legal Aid Society signed a lease to relocate to 199 Water St.
The society will lease 134,000 square feet on the third through seventh floors of the Water Street building, which is owned and managed by Jack Resnick & Sons.
The society’s lawyers, formerly at 90 Church St., have been unable to reoccupy the site because of decontamination work related to 9/11.
Since moving from 90 Church St., Legal Aid has been subleasing at several locations – including some of the Prudential space at 199 Water St. The deal will let it consolidate into one location.
Robert Tunis of GVA Williams, who represented Legal Aid, did not return calls for comment.
Robert E. Selsam, senior vice president of Boston Properties, which owns 90 Church St., told us it will be ready for tenant build-out work to begin in 30 to 60 days.
Legal Aid has been arguing that the time period for the restoration was exceeded, giving it a termination right.
“We disagreed and are still in talks with them about an amicable parting of the ways,” said Selsam, stressing, “Nobody’s suing anybody.”
Both the U.S. Postal Service and city Housing Authority are “definitely” returning to the building with the post office reconstruction “out to bid,” Selsam said. To clean the building, “we pretty much demolished down to the core walls and ceilings,” Selsam said.
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To streamline their portfolio, Harry and Billy Macklowe have hired the investment sales team of Scott Latham and Jon Caplan at Cushman & Wakefield to market the small office building at 369 Lexington Ave.
The 28-story, 130,000- square-footer near Grand Central Terminal is inhabited by a variety of small tenants. Asking rents are in the $30s per square foot for the available space, which totals less than 10,000 square feet.
The property could fetch $250 to $300 a square foot, bringing in another $35 million for Harry and his son.
As we reported last week, the Macklowes have also hired Massey Knakal to sell a $175 million portfolio of seven small apartment buildings.
They decided to pass on the acquisition of 300 Park Ave. to concentrate on redevelopment of their $1.4 billion GM Building purchase, at 767 Fifth Ave.
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Turning to the Wild West Side, Max Capital is proposing that City Planning give 450 W. 33rd St. more room to grow on top so it can provide an underground commuter concourse and pedestrian hub linking Madison Square Garden, Penn Station and Amtrak with the Javits Convention Center, any new stadium and even the subways.
Max CEO Adam Hochfelder told the Young Mens/Womens Real Estate Association last week the company and City Planning officials are discussing the possibility of building a taller residential and office addition on the squat, 16-story office building where The Associated Press is moving. Zoning could permit an addition of 600,000 to 1 million square feet.
The Max plan, designed by Kohn Pedersen Fox, envisions a new pedestrian concourse filled with shops that could bridge the current lonely gulf between Eighth and Tenth avenues.
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We got a buyer’s-eye tour of Trump Park Avenue last week from developer Donald J. Trump, girlfriend Melania Knauss and sales director Laura Cordovano.
“Forget granite – they all want marble in the kitchens again,” declared Trump, pointing to the counter of an $18 million, 7,132-square-foot residence on the 21st floor. “Just look at this slab.”
All the better for making pie crusts, we thought. “A great kitchen to work in,” the caterer agreed, out of Trump’s earshot.
The residence has two keyed elevators that open right into the space, a hallway to run laps in and 10 tan and cream marble bathrooms.
Donny Trump Jr. is really in charge of the project. He showed us the lobby’s spruced-up black-and-white diamond-patterned marble floor and its re-gilded ceiling, beautified from the former Delmonico lobby.
“Why is that tape up there?” we asked the Trumps, our nitpicking, project-review eyes spotting two scotch-tape pieces still on the “punch list” haystack.
So Big D turned to Jr. and asked him the same question. Oops. Next time I’ll keep my mouth shut.
Donny Jr. told us later that both sister Ivanka, now studying at Wharton business school, and brother Eric, now at Georgetown University, “can’t wait to work here.”
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Port Authority Executive Director Joseph Seymour told us the agency won’t resell the lease for the new retail space at ground zero for several years – not until it’s been planned and development has begun.
The goal is to avoid interference in the planning process.
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The Tropicana is taking inspiration from the blue skies and white clouds of the Caesars Forum Shoppes – and a creative ownership team from the King of Prussia Mall and the Las Vegas Venetian – to add 40 new stores for Atlantic City gamblers.
Among the stores set to open in March will be Jeffrey Chowderow’s Red Square and the new Bill Murray concept restaurant, the Murray Brothers Caddy Shack sports bar, said Paul Rubeli, CEO of Aztar Corp., Trop’s owner. Also being added are 500 hotel rooms and 2,000 parking spots.
* Please send e-mail to:lweiss@nypost.com