Blank Rome's New York Office Co-Chairs Discuss COVID-19's Effect on Midtown Manhattan
Blank Rome Partners Martin Luskin and Deborah A. Skakel, who serve as co-chairs of the Firm's New York office—located at 1271 Avenue of the Americas, near the iconic Rockefeller Center—discuss the coronavirus pandemic's effect on Midtown Manhattan and share their optimism for what's ahead for the city in The New York Times (July 26, 2020).
Article Excerpt:
The Rockefeller Group, the building’s owner, emptied 1271 Avenue of the Americas for significant renovations shortly after Time Inc. moved most of its operations downtown in 2015. The building reopened last year, and the law firm Blank Rome, a longtime tenant in the Chrysler Building eight blocks downtown, was among the first to move in.
Among the first lawyers through the door was Martin Luskin, who has spent 41 years with the firm. His biggest fear, looking across the street at Rockefeller Center, was the holidays ahead.
“We were petrified, hearing stories about the tree lighting, and the weeks before and a couple of weeks after,” he said. “But in the end, when you get used to it and see the excitement in the families bringing their children to see the tree, the excitement takes over. It’s an energizing effect.”
He would grow fond enough of Rockefeller Center that he became a member at the Rainbow Room, the gilded and mirrored destination for Champagne brunch and chandeliers on the 65th floor of 30 Rockefeller Plaza (“30 Rock”).
“A client lunch or client drinks in the evening — that’s my spot,” he said.
Now, his spot is his home in Westchester County, staring at clients on his screen instead of alongside breathtaking views in Midtown. The Rainbow Room remains closed. The means of arrival and departure that made the Rainbow Room unique — the long elevator ride — would seem to be a possible liability if a day comes when cars can carry only four diners at a time.
His colleague Deborah A. Skakel, also working from home, said she had found herself missing her own Midtown rituals. She recently paid a brief visit to the office and noticed a favorite food cart, called King Tut, missing. “You could get a gyro or souvlaki, but what I got was salad on the bottom and grilled chicken and sautéed vegetables,” Ms. Skakel said.
She would carry her humble meal to a little office park with tables and a waterfall under trees.
Both Mr. Luskin and Ms. Skakel showed optimism that Midtown would rebound, just as it has before, from high crime, financial crises and the 9/11 attacks, which struck fear in many people working in tall buildings.