Law firm leases 200,000 s/f at Bank of America Tower.

One of the last remaining big blocks of space in midtown has been swallowed up in a record-breaking deal at the new Bank of America Tower rising at One Bryant Park.

Law firm Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP has leased 203,000 s/f on floors 41 to 46 at the tower, a joint venture

Although financial details of the deal were not disclosed, asking rents in the building are reported to be in excess of $100 psf. According to the Co-Star Group, that's the highest rent ever paid for a block of space this large.

"The Bank of America Tower at One Bryant Park will be New York's premier office building," said Tom Bow, senior vice president of the The Durst Organization, who handled the negotiations with vice president, Eric Engelhardt, and Gary Rosenberg of Rosenberg & Estis P.C. Akin Gump was represented by Eric Berson, Esq. of Washington Realty Group.

Bow added, "We are proud that Akin Gump has recognized that One Bryant Park will make an excellent home for their New York office and we look forward to working with them over the coming years."

Designed by Cook + Fox Architects, Bank of America Tower will be New York's most environmentally advanced office tower when it opens in 2008. The developers are seeking a "Platinum Designation" from the U.S. Green Building's Council for the building. The tower's 51 stories will house 2.1 million square feet of office space, almost half of which will serve as the headquarters for Bank of America's operations in New York City, and house its global corporate and investment banking, wealth and investment management and consumer and commercial banking businesses as well as the headquarters for the Durst Organization.

The Akin Gump lease takes occupancy at the tower to 90%, with only floors 37-39 and 47-50 still available.