Chimera Investment Corporation is doubling down on Rockefeller Center, signing a 15-year lease for roughly 22,000 square feet at 1 Rockefeller Plaza, the landlord announced Tuesday. The mortgage-focused REIT will take the full 32nd floor along with portions of the 33rd and 34th floors as it relocates from its current offices at 630 Fifth Avenue, cementing its Midtown headquarters and expanding its footprint inside the iconic complex.
According to Connect CRE, CBRE brokers Conor Denihan and Connor Desimone represented Chimera in the deal, while Tishman Speyer handled the landlord side in-house with Blythe Kinsler and Kate Walker.
Chimera describes itself as a hybrid mortgage REIT, founded in 2007 and principally focused on residential mortgage loans and agency and non-agency mortgage-backed securities, according to Chimera Investment Corporation. The company lists its investor relations address at 630 Fifth Avenue, Suite 2400, where it previously maintained a smaller Midtown presence.
Why Rockefeller Center?
Tishman Speyer has been actively repositioning the Rockefeller Center campus and financing a broad redevelopment it says is helping drive new leasing demand. As outlined by Tishman Speyer, the landlord has leaned into tenant amenities, including its ZO workplace program and a clubhouse at 1 Rockefeller Plaza, to keep the campus attractive to financial and professional services firms that still want a Midtown ZIP code with some shine on it.
Midtown leasing context
1 Rockefeller Plaza has drawn law firms and investment managers in recent years, with other mid-size tenants taking space as landlords chase stability in Midtown, according to Commercial Observer. The Chimera lease fits into a run of targeted deals landlords have used to push occupancy and justify amenity upgrades across the Center.
“We’re thrilled that Chimera has decided to make Rockefeller Center their headquarters after getting to know the campus,” EB Kelly, senior managing director at Tishman Speyer and head of Rockefeller Center, said in a statement reported by Connect CRE. The company added that the lease “underscores the enduring appeal of Rockefeller Center to New York’s investment industry.”
Financial terms and a move-in timeline were not disclosed. Even so, the 15-year commitment gives Chimera long-dated certainty in a market where tenants and landlords are increasingly weighing amenity upgrades and location as key drivers of long-term office bets.
