Hancock Estabrook signs lease extension in Axa Tower I, moving to building’s top three floors

SYRACUSE, N.Y. — Hancock Estabrook, LLP has signed a 13-year extension of its current lease in Axa Tower I and plans to relocate to the building’s top three floors.

Crews will also conduct renovations for the firm’s new offices, Hancock Estabrook said in a news release.

The law firm expects the work to begin in June and expects to move to the renovated space near the end of the year, Renee Benda, marketing director at Hancock Estabrook, tells BJNN.

The cost of the project is “confidential,” Benda added.

CBD Companies, which manages the Axa Towers, will provide construction-management services, the company said in a separate news release issued Wednesday.

New York City–based AmTrustRealty Corp. owns the Axa Towers, CBD said.

The upcoming move

Hancock Estabrook, which currently occupies floors 13 through 15 in AXA Tower I, will move to floors 17 through 19 once crews complete “extensive” renovations. The new space will have 36,000 square feet of office space with features that King + King Architects designed, the law firm said.

The design incorporates “open, collaborative” spaces; natural interior light; and video conferencing and training facilities.

Rochester–based Bergmann, which operates an office in Syracuse, consulted on the mechanical design of the space, CBD said.

Hancock Estabrook recognizes that the “nature of law firms is changing,” Janet Callahan, the firm’s managing partner, said in the release.

“As the expiration date of our current lease approached, we were presented with a great opportunity to evaluate our office space and really consider what we want our law firm to look like in the future. Downtown is our home. We’ve been resident in the AXA Towers for over 50 years, and we are excited about being able to stay at our current address while creating a clean, modern aesthetic in our new space. We are focusing on utilizing modern design to reinforce our firm culture and allow us to better meet and exceed client expectations,” said Callahan.

The new space will include design elements that are “intended to create comfortable and collaborative” spaces for the firm’s 57 attorneys and 56 staff members, Hancock Estabrook said.

The elements include a two-floor, open reception area with a “panoramic” view of downtown Syracuse; and a media room that will accommodate large groups and seminars and small-seating areas for informal meetings.

In addition to these amenities, the newly designed office will have “built-in, stand up” work spaces for administrative staff and a break room with kitchen facilities and charging stations for laptops.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com