CHAPTER 5:
THE 1970s
The building at 1411 Broadway, located on the site of the old Metropolitan Opera House, was a sleek, modern structure that was a forerunner to many more buildings like it in Midtown. The apparel industry it housed was a market Kleinberg knew well; his work there and elsewhere in the Garment District spoke volumes to tenants about how well he understood their business. His clients were top brands in the clothing sector, mostly women’s, and included Jonathan Logan, Bobby Brooks and College Town. Articles continued to appear in Women’s Wear Daily, the apparel industry bible. “That was a big one,” recalls Jeffrey of the success marketing 1411 Broadway. “He got client after client after that.” Eventually, Kleinberg was able to take his ideas from apparel and apply them in other industries. He designed retail stores for such high-end brands as Royal Copenhagen and legendary Danish silversmith Georg Jensen, as well as the first bank commissions the firm did, like Citibank, and later Sterling Bank. Financial institutions
would eventually become a very large part of the business and include such venerable companies as ABN AMRO, Guggenheim Partners, HSBC, and Mudrick Capital. The challenge at 1411 Broadway was how to market the new, large floor plates. Likewise at Helmsley Spear’s 1 Penn Plaza, which opened in 1972. Tenants came in all sizes and the large spaces coming onto the market didn’t suit all of them, nor did they want to be landlords themselves and sublease. To Kleinberg, the solution was obvious: divide them up in an attractive and compelling way so they would appeal to more companies focused on economizing 1 Penn Plaza, among the first buildings and minimizing risk. whose large floor plates were divided Innovative pre-builts, a up to appeal to smaller tenants. T H E 19 7 0 S
35
