Big East Conference Moving Office HQ to Empire State Building

The Big East Conference has scored a slam dunk at the Empire State Building.

Big East, an NCAA Division 1 athletic conference that competes in 10 men’s sports and 12 women’s sports, has leased 7,882 square feet for its new headquarters at the 102-story landmarked tower owned by Empire State Realty Trust (ESRT), according to a press release.

Big East will leave its current 13,742-square-foot HQ at 655 Third Avenue — where it has been a tenant since 2014 — for its new space at the iconic building at 20 West 34th Street this fall, the release said.

“We are very excited to move to the Empire State Building, one of the most iconic buildings in the world,” Big East Commissioner Val Ackerman said in a statement. “Our new headquarters will now be a few blocks from Madison Square Garden, where we have proudly held our men’s basketball tournament for the past 43 consecutive years, and will ensure access to all the benefits Midtown Manhattan has to offer.

“This move also strengthens our historic ties to New York City and further positions our conference at the center of the sports, business and media worlds,” Ackerman added.

The length of the lease and asking rent were unclear, but asking rent in the building was $88 per square foot as recently as July, Commercial Observer reported at the time.

Newmark’s Andrew Sachs and Harry Singer brokered the deal for the tenant, while ESRT was represented in-house by Jordan Berger, Shanae Ursini and Kerry Lavelle. Newmark declined to comment.

Big East, which has played its annual basketball tournament at MSG since 1983, currently has a roster of 11 schools, including Butler University, the University of Connecticut, Creighton University, DePaul University, Georgetown University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John’s University, Seton Hall University, Villanova University and Xavier University, according to its website.

St. John’s is the most recent men’s basketball champion, as the school defeated Creighton this year and secured its first tournament title in 25 years. UConn is this year’s Division 1 women’s basketball champion after defeating South Carolina in the championship game.

And this isn’t the first time Big East has teamed up with ESRT. The landlord has partnered annually with Big East on fan meet-and-greets, special promotions and spirit programs at the Empire State Building during the week of the tournament, according to the release.

Plus, one of the Empire State Building’s amenities includes the Empire Lounge, which has a basketball court, the release said.

“Our outstanding annual partnership, unmatched location and premier amenities led the Big East Conference to choose the Empire State Building on their search for New York City office space,” Ryan Kass, senior vice president and director of leasing at ESRT, said in a statement. “We are pleased to join our two iconic brands and provide the Big East with a modernized headquarters at the Empire State Building.”

Other tenants of the 2.7 million-square-foot building include human resource and finance management firm Workday, management consulting firm Kearney and financial advisory firm Pontera Solutions, as well as State Grill and Bar, the Starbucks Reserve and Mexican restaurant Tacombi in the retail spaces.

Isabelle Durso can be reached at [email protected].