You’ve probably seen it from the High Line without even realizing what you were looking at. It’s that massive, imposing block of brick and steel that sits right at the intersection of history and high-speed fiber optics. We’re talking about 85 10th Avenue NYC. Most people just see another big building in the Meatpacking District, but if you look closer, it’s basically a physical map of how New York City changed from a place that moved physical goods to a place that moves data.
It's huge. Like, 11 stories and 600,000 square feet huge.
Back in the day—we’re talking 1913—this wasn't a place for fancy offices or tech giants. It was the National Biscuit Company (Nabisco) complex. Imagine the smell of Oreos and Saltines wafting through what is now one of the most expensive neighborhoods in the world. The building was designed by Albert G. Zimmerman, and it was built for heavy lifting. That industrial DNA is exactly why it’s so popular today. Modern tech companies love those high ceilings and floors that can support literal tons of machinery, because even though we live in a digital world, the servers and cooling systems that run it are incredibly heavy.
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Why Google and L'Oréal Moved In
Location is everything, obviously. But for 85 10th Avenue NYC, it’s more about the bones of the building. Vornado Realty Trust and Related Companies, the heavy hitters who own and manage the space, knew that the "industrial-chic" vibe would sell. But you can't just have pretty windows.
Google is the big name here. They’ve been gobbling up real estate in Chelsea and the Meatpacking District for years, starting with their massive 111 Eighth Avenue purchase. They took a huge chunk of space at 85 10th Avenue to house their expanding teams. It’s part of their "Chelsea campus" strategy. They aren't the only ones, though. L'Oréal USA set up their headquarters here before eventually moving over to Hudson Yards, which really proved that this specific address could handle a global brand's flagship operations.
Honestly, the building is a bit of a fortress. It occupies an entire city block between 15th and 16th Streets. Because it was originally a warehouse, the windows are massive, letting in that specific kind of West Side light that photographers dream about. If you’re a tenant, you aren't just paying for an office; you’re paying for a piece of the High Line's backyard.
The Engineering Feat Nobody Talks About
We need to talk about the loading docks. It sounds boring, I know. But in a city like New York, where logistics are a nightmare, having a building with internal trucking docks is like finding a unicorn. 85 10th Avenue NYC allows for massive shipments to come and go without clogging up 10th Avenue (well, more than it already is).
The floor plates are enormous. Most midtown towers have these tiny, chopped-up floors because of the way elevators are centered. Here? You get about 50,000 square feet of open space on a single level. For a tech company, that’s the dream. You can put an entire department on one floor without people having to wait for elevators just to talk to their teammates.
What’s Actually Inside?
It's not just desks and MacBooks. The building is a mixed-use beast. You’ve got:
- High-end office spaces with those iconic exposed brick walls.
- The FBI. Yes, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has had a major field office presence here. It’s kind of wild to think about federal agents and Google engineers grabbing coffee in the same lobby.
- Data centers. Because of the heavy floor loads mentioned earlier, it’s a prime spot for the hardware that keeps the internet running.
- Del Posto (formerly). For a long time, this was the home of one of the most famous Italian restaurants in the city. While the restaurant scene fluctuates—especially with the Batali/Bastianich shifts and the subsequent rebranding—the ground floor remains a powerhouse for high-end retail and dining.
People often confuse this building with Chelsea Market, which is right next door. They were both part of the Nabisco empire. But while Chelsea Market became a food hall, 85 10th Avenue stayed more "serious." It's the corporate, high-security sibling.
The High Line Connection
You can’t talk about 85 10th Avenue NYC without talking about the High Line. The park literally brushes against the building. This transformed the "back side" of the property into a front-row seat for one of the most successful urban renewal projects in history. When the High Line opened its first section in 2009, the valuation of 85 10th Avenue skyrocketed.
Suddenly, having an office on the 3rd floor meant you were looking right at tourists and locals walking through a garden in the sky. It changed the vibe from "gritty industrial" to "luxury tech hub."
The neighborhood has also shifted around it. You have the Whitney Museum just a few blocks south and the glitz of Chelsea’s art galleries to the north. If you work at 85 10th, you’re in the middle of a culture bubble.
Is it worth the hype?
Real estate nerds and urban historians usually agree that this building is a masterpiece of adaptive reuse. It didn't try to hide its past. They kept the massive columns. They kept the industrial scale. They just added insanely fast internet and central AC.
Some people argue that the "Google-fication" of the Meatpacking District has stripped away the neighborhood's soul. It used to be a place for actual meatpackers and nightlife that was... let's say, a bit more adventurous. Now it's very polished. Very expensive. But from a business perspective, 85 10th Avenue is a gold standard. It’s a building that survived the decline of New York’s manufacturing era and came out on top in the information era.
How to Navigate the Area
If you're heading there for a meeting or just to gawk at the architecture, don't expect to just wander into the office lobbies. Security is tight, especially with the government tenants and high-profile tech firms.
- Transport: The A, C, E, and L trains at 14th Street/8th Avenue are your best bet. It’s a bit of a walk, but you get to pass through Chelsea Market on the way.
- The View: For the best look at the building's scale, walk the High Line between 15th and 17th Streets. You’ll see the bridges that used to connect the various Nabisco buildings.
- Food: If you aren't an employee with access to a fancy corporate cafeteria, hit up the ground-floor retail or cross the street to Chelsea Market.
The story of 85 10th Avenue NYC is really the story of Manhattan. It’s about taking something built for biscuits and turning it into a fortress for the digital age. It’s big, it’s expensive, and it’s unapologetically New York.
Your Next Steps for Exploring 85 10th Avenue
- Visit the High Line at sunset: Start at Gansevoort Street and walk north. This gives you the best perspective on how the building integrates with the elevated park.
- Check the Landmark filings: If you're a history buff, look up the Gansevoort Market Historic District designation reports. They have incredible detail on the Zimmerman designs and the original Nabisco floor plans.
- Monitor the Retail: Keep an eye on the 10th Avenue street level. New flagship stores and experimental dining concepts often launch here before anywhere else in the city.
- Tech Networking: If you're in the tech industry, many of the tenants host private events. Keep an eye on industry meetups that list "Chelsea Campus" as the location—you might finally get a peek inside those massive floor plates.