What Is the One Grand Office Tower?
One Grand is a planned headquarters-focused office tower in Manhattan, positioned as a state-of-the-art workplace built around wellness and sustainability.
The 28-story project is conceived as a full-building office destination for a major tenant seeking a distinct headquarters identity. It is designed to support corporate wellness through abundant air, light, outdoor access, and flexible amenities. At a time when markets like Oakland are grappling with remote work trends and rising office vacancies, the project’s amenity-rich design reflects how developers are adapting to changing workplace expectations. The tower is planned for a full-block site on Grand Street between Varick Street and Avenue of the Americas, a vacant lot that has remained undeveloped since 2007.
Planned office space totals 430,763 rentable square feet across floors 7 through 28, with floor plates ranging from 15,000 to 25,500 square feet.
About 13,000 square feet of amenities and 20,040 square feet of outdoor space are also planned.
Designed by SHoP Architects, the tower features a rhomboid facade and lightweight steel exterior.
Its form includes eight two-story open-air loggias, four terraces, and a public school at the building base.
Where Is One Grand in Hudson Square?
At the southern edge of Hudson Square, the planned tower is slated for the corner of Grand Street and Varick Street, a crossroads that also touches SoHo and Tribeca in Lower Manhattan.
Often identified as 76 Varick Street, the project is also referenced as 2 Hudson Square, pointing to the same development parcel.
The site spans from Grand Street south toward Canal Street, with Varick Street forming its western edge and Duarte Square and Sixth Avenue framing the eastern side.
This Varick Corner location places One Grand within Midtown South’s creative district and along a busy downtown office corridor.
Reporting describes the parcel as a vacant lot with Canal Street station entrances on site for the 1 train, while nearby A, C, and E service strengthens connections across Manhattan.
Like Denver’s transit-oriented development planning at Burnham Yard, the Hudson Square site also benefits from strong rail access and broader regional connectivity.
What Will One Grand Offer Tenants?
For prospective occupiers, the offering is centered on a trophy-class workplace designed for large-scale headquarters users in Lower Manhattan.
One Grand is planned with 430,763 rentable square feet across floors 7 through 28, with floor plates ranging from roughly 15,000 to 25,500 RSF.
The office stack begins about 100 feet above street level, helping create quieter interiors, stronger natural light, and broader views.
Amenities and Open-Air Access Raise Expectations
Tenants are expected to receive 13,000 square feet of wellness amenities focused on productivity and collaboration.
These include conference rooms, lounges, focus rooms, a town hall, a coffee bar, bike storage, and spa-inspired bathrooms.
The design also emphasizes outdoor connectivity through 20,040 square feet of terraces, loggias, and a shared roof deck.
Sustainability targets include LEED Gold, WELL, and Wired Score.
Why Has One Grand Not Broken Ground?
Securing a committed anchor tenant remains the decisive obstacle to breaking ground at One Grand.
Taconic has said full construction will not begin until that tenant signs, even though JLL has marketed the project for at least a year.
Market Timing Pressure
Hudson Square occupiers are favoring immediate occupancy. That weakens interest in a tower requiring about three years to deliver.
That timing mismatch is especially important as tech, AI, and media firms compete for ready-to-use space across the city.
Why the Site Still Waits
- The lot has been vacant since the prior building was demolished in 2007.
- Permits for foundation work do not equal full vertical construction.
- At 430,763 RSF and 28 floors, the project needs substantial preleasing.
Nuveen and Taconic advanced planning, but the anchor tenant requirement still controls the schedule.
What Does One Grand Say About Office Demand?
One Grand’s slow march toward construction reflects a market that is improving, but still selective.
Manhattan leasing reached 20.6 million square feet in the first half of 2025, up 17.2% year over year.
That suggests office demand has recovered despite remote work and persistent tenant churn across older buildings.
Premium Space Pulls Ahead
The strongest gains remain concentrated in top-tier properties.
Class A space has outperformed lower-tier buildings, while amenity wars and transit access continue to shape tenant decisions.
Grand Central illustrates that divide clearly.
Better buildings there show lower availability, and One Grand Central was reported 98% leased, signaling durable demand for premium locations.
Uneven But Strengthening
Large transactions have returned, and demand is broad-based rather than dependent only on tech tenants.
At the same time, conversions and renovations are constraining supply, which may reinforce demand for new towers.
Assessment
One Grand remains a closely watched Hudson Square proposal with the potential to add a major new office presence in lower Manhattan.
Its delay reflects the financial and leasing pressures still shaping large-scale development decisions in New York.
At the same time, the project signals that developers continue to position premium office towers for a market that rewards location, design, and tenant amenities.
Whether construction advances soon will depend on capital conditions and sustained high-end office demand.
