NEW YORK -- Oct. 23, 2005 -- Toy Industry Association, Inc. (TIA) announced today that it has selected 100 Church Street in New York City as the future home of the North American Toy Industry.
The toy industry plans to occupy in excess of 400,000 square feet at 100 Church St., a one million square foot office building one block north of the World Trade Center site.
This move was necessitated by the recent sale of the current International Toy Center, 200 Fifth Avenue and 1107 Broadway, to new owners who plan to use it differently. The new location was selected by a Relocation Committee that includes officials of TIA and the 200 Fifth Avenue Tenants Association. It was then unanimously ratified by the TIA Board during a conference call Thursday evening.
"After an exhaustive search of available space in midtown and downtown areas in Manhattan and elsewhere this location was chosen because it best met the criteria set by the TIA board," said Arnie Rubin, TIA Board Chairman. "The selection of 100 Church Street is a continuation of the Toy Industry's 100-year commitment to New York City."
"100 Church St. afforded the opportunity to meet the current and future space requirements of the toy industry," said David Rosenbloom, of Cushman & Wakefield, who represented TIA in its site selection, along with the firm's Robert Baraf, Jonathan Rosner and Murray Hill Properties' Tom Arbuckle. "The toy industry has the vision to get in on the ground floor of the rebirth of Lower Manhattan - an area that promises to become the most exciting neighborhood in New York City for generations to come."
The decision marks the first step in a post-selection process of signing up tenants and arranging for the building to welcome buyers in time for the American International Fall Toy Show in October 2006.
Representatives from Cushman & Wakefield and Murray Hill Properties, along with TIA, will be on hand at the International Toy Center, 200 Fifth Avenue, from October 24-27 during the American International Fall Toy Show, to give information, answer questions and help tenants to sign up to be in the new building.
About TIA
TIA is the trade association for North American producers and importers of toys, games and entertainment products for the youth market. In addition to the American International Fall Toy Show, TIA owns and manages the American International TOY FAIR(R); ToyCon, TIA's Annual Meeting and Conference; and Multi-Discipline Conference. TIA also manages the International Halloween Show, set for December 5-8, 2005 in New York City.
