BROOKLYN, NY— Brooklyn Defender Services will relocate its headquarters to The Wheeler in Downtown Brooklyn under a 31-year lease covering 212,000 square feet, Tishman Speyer announced.
The public defense organization will occupy six full floors in the 10-story, 617,000-square-foot development at 422 Fulton Street.
The move will bring staff from multiple Downtown Brooklyn offices into a single location beginning in late 2026.
Brooklyn Defender Services provides legal representation at no cost as a public defense organization. The relocation consolidates its operations into one headquarters as part of a long-term commitment to the site.
Tishman Speyer developed The Wheeler as a mixed-use office and institutional property and said the agreement completes full leasing across the building.
“With its modern workspaces and highly accessible location in the heart of Downtown Brooklyn, The Wheeler proved to be an ideal fit for BDS and its esteemed team of professionals," Chris Shehadeh, Tishman Speyer senior managing director, said.
The Wheeler now stands fully leased to nonprofit tenants, including a planned 150,000-square-foot high school campus for Brooklyn Prospect and a 255,000-square-foot relocation by St. Francis College completed in 2022.
Brooklyn Prospect signed an agreement last March to establish a new campus in the building. St. Francis Collegepreviously relocated its entire campus into the property, bringing higher education space into the development.
“These new headquarters will allow us to provide an inspiring, collaborative and supportive environment for our staff, the people we serve and surrounding communities," Lisa Schreibersdorf, executive director of Brooklyn Defender Services, said. "This new space strengthens our ability to provide high-quality legal representation and the best possible outcomes for the people we serve for decades to come.”
CBRE and Newmark represented the landlords and tenant in the transaction, respectively, alongside in-house and brokerage teams involved in the lease.
Tishman Speyer said the 594-property global portfolio includes approximately 240 million square feet across office, residential, retail, industrial, and mixed-use assets, including landmarks such as Rockefeller Center.
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