Having a Blass on B'way.

Capital Mercury Apparel, a manufacturer of menswear for brands such as Bill Blass, Jones New York, and Teva, has leased nearly 35,000 s/f at 1359 Broadway, a W&H property in the center of the -new Times Square South district.

Capital Mercury will move into two floors of the building (the entire 19th floor and part of the 20th) from its current headquarters at 1372 Broadway in the spring of 2005.

"Capital Mercury had very specific space and timing requirements," says Michael Frantz, director of Newmark, the managing and leasing agent for 1359 Broadway. "As a rule, the building's management and ownership strive to be flexible in lease negotiations. Consequently, we were able to accommodate Capital Mercury's requirements.

Greg B. Taubin and David J. Goldstein of Studley represented Capital Mercury Apparel in the lease negotiations.

An ambitious $54 million-dollar capital improvement program recently commenced at the building.