Tishman Speyer has finally filled the Wheeler.
Brooklyn Defender Services, which provides free legal representation, signed a 31-year lease for 212,000 square feet at 422 Fulton Street, the companies announced. The deal brings the building, known as the Wheeler, to full occupancy. Commercial Observer first reported the news.
The nonprofit joins a roster of tenants including Brooklyn Prospect and St. Francis College. BDS’ offices will occupy six full floors of the 10-story development.
The asking rent was not disclosed, but the average office rent in Downtown Brooklyn was $54.85 per square foot in the first quarter of 2026, according to Colliers.
The lease caps a yearslong effort to fill the Wheeler, Tishman Speyer’s office redevelopment atop what was formerly Macy’s.
Tishman acquired the upper portion of the Fulton Street property from Macy’s in 2015 for $270 million, marking the developer’s first major project in Brooklyn. The company added 10 floors of office space above the retailer’s flagship store while preserving the cast-iron facade. The building once housed the historic department store Abraham & Straus until it was acquired by Macy’s in 1995.
The project’s leasing efforts got off to a promising start. The developer initially landed Whittle School & Studios as an anchor tenant, but the deal unraveled in 2020 as the education startup struggled financially during the pandemic.
The building has since leased up in stages. St. Francis College relocated to the Wheeler in 2022, while Brooklyn Prospect signed a 150,000-square-foot lease last year for a new high school campus.
As the tenant roster grew, Tishman also shored up the project’s financing. In 2024, the developer secured a $301 million refinancing from Starwood Property Trust on the project.
Tishman Speyer was represented in-house by Megan Sheehan and a CBRE team of Mary Ann Tighe, Joseph Cirone, Masha Dudelzak, Zachary Price, Gerry Miovski. Jonathan Franzel and Ryan Gessin of Newmark represented BDS.
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St. Francis College takes 250K sf at new DoBro building
Tishman Speyer lands $301M refi on historic Macy’s building in Downtown Brooklyn
