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Universal Music Group Finalizes 336k SF Lease at 2 Penn Plaza

REBNY honors brokerage teams for complex 2025 transactions, including a 336k SF lease for Universal Music Group at 2 Penn Plaza and a 300k SF lease for Goodwin at 200 Fifth Ave.

By Colin Percy · May 12, 2026

The Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) held its 82nd annual Most Ingenious Deal of the Year Awards at Lever House in Midtown Manhattan to recognize exceptional commercial brokerage negotiations. The ceremony highlighted three standout transactions from 2025, led by Geoffrey Newman of Savills, who secured the first-place Henry Hart Rice Achievement Award for his complex assembly of properties at 252-258 Third Ave. and 37-38 Gramercy Park. The deal involved a 13-year effort to acquire land, including a 34-unit cooperative, by leveraging cantilever rights.

CBRE professionals Scott Gottlieb, Brendan Herlihy, and Michael Wellen earned second-place honors for facilitating Universal Music Group's 336,000-square-foot, 20-year headquarters lease at 2 Penn Plaza. Additionally, Mark Weiss and Jared Thal of Cushman & Wakefield received third place for representing law firm Goodwin in a 300,000-square-foot, 20-year lease agreement spanning 200 Fifth Ave. and 21 W. 23rd St.

Companies mentioned

specialty contractor

Goodwin Services LLC

tenant

Universal Music

other

Rudder Property

broker

Cushman & Wakefield

broker

CBRE

other

Branton Realty Services

other

Savills

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