Retail space for lease in Midtown South
Midtown South is the historic home of New York tech and media, built on converted loft buildings with open floors and big windows. It spans NoMad and the blocks around Madison Square, and it is one of the tightest submarkets for well-built creative office.
- Retail stock
- 4.1M SF
- Retail properties
- 634
- Largest retail
- 140 West 30th Street
- Transit
- R W at 28 St
Building figures are existing stock from NYC PLUTO 26v2 tax lot records, not space on the market. More below.
On Leasemark No retail space for lease and no requirements posted in Midtown South yet. Post yours and it is matched the day it goes up.
Nothing listed here yet
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NYC Department of Finance filings
Rent collected per square foot: retail buildings in Manhattan
In 2024, 1,328 Manhattan retail properties filed income statements with the city. Their median gross income was $64.71 per square foot, and the middle half collected between $38.35 and $104.91. The typical property's income was up 2.1% on 2023. The city publishes these figures by borough, not by neighborhood, so they cover Manhattan as a whole.
Gross income per square foot, 2024
Manhattan retail buildings
- Median gross income
- $64.71/SF
- Middle half
- $38.35 to $104.91
- Typical change on 2023
- +2.08%
- Citywide median
- $36.07/SF
- Filings
- 1,328
Turn a price per square foot into monthly rentWhat tenants pay on top of rent
Source: NYC Department of Finance, FY 2027 RPIE 2024 Income and Expense Distributions (FY 2027 assessment roll, published January 2026), page 16. Owners of income-producing properties file a Real Property Income and Expense statement each year; gross income is everything a property collected in 2024 per square foot, as filed, with outlier and partial-year filers left out. It includes vacant space, concessions and older leases, so it is not an asking rent.
NYC storefront registry
Storefronts in Midtown South
How many shopfronts the city's registry counts here and how many stood empty at the end of 2025: a quick read on how much choice a retail or restaurant tenant has.
- Registered storefronts
- 899
- Vacant on Dec 31, 2025
- 107
- Vacancy rate
- 11.9%
- NYC 9.2%
- A year earlier
- 12.7%
- fewer empty now
Streets with the most storefronts in Midtown South
Large buildings with a vacant storefront
Owners of 30 of the 135 large buildings we track in Midtown South with registered storefronts reported at least one vacant on December 31, 2025, 14 of them at 3 or more year ends in a row. Each links to the building's filings by year. Not listings: the registry records no size, rent or asking terms.
| Building | Vacant storefronts | Reported vacant |
|---|---|---|
| 856 Avenue of the Americas | 4 of 20 | Every year end since 2019 |
| 2 Park Avenue | 3 of 10 | Every year end since 2019 |
| 29th Street Towers, 214 West 29th Street | 3 of 3 | Every year end since 2019 |
| 1195 Broadway | 3 of 3 | Every year end since 2021 |
| 63 Madison Avenue | 2 of 5 | Every year end since 2020 |
| 153 West 27th Street | 2 of 5 | Every year end since 2024 |
| Empire State Building, 338 Fifth Avenue | 2 of 19 | End of 2025 |
| 151 West 26th Street | 1 of 4 | Every year end since 2019 |
| 29th Street Towers, 224 West 29th Street | 1 of 1 | Every year end since 2019 |
| 1115 Broadway | 1 of 3 | Every year end since 2021 |
Own or represent a vacant storefront in Midtown South? List it free and it is matched against every retail requirement the day it goes up.
NYC storefront vacancy report: every borough, neighborhood and street, by year
Source: NYC Department of Finance, Storefronts Reported Vacant or Not (Local Law 157), annual filings, pulled 2026-10-16. Owners of buildings with ground- or second-floor storefronts register each one every year with its status on December 31. Neighborhood figures count storefronts near the neighborhood's commercial core, the same area as the building figures on this page. A vacant storefront is not always on the market: some are being renovated, held empty or already leased to a tenant who has not moved in.
NYC tax lot records
Retail buildings in Midtown South
What already stands here, from the city's own property data. Useful for sizing a search before a single space is listed.
- Retail space
- 4.1M SF
- Properties with retail space
- 634
- All commercial space
- 35.7M SF
- Built before 1940
- 89%
Largest retail buildings
All 185 large commercial buildings in Midtown SouthAge, height and zoning
- Median year built: 1915.
- Median height: 7 floors.
- Most common zoning districts: C5-2 (171), M1-8A/R11 (158), M1-8A/R12 (77). 40% of these lots are zoned for manufacturing.
- Historic districts: Madison Square North Historic District (82 lots).
- 31 lots are designated city landmarks.
Source: NYC Department of City Planning, PLUTO 26v2, pulled 2026-10-16. Counts cover tax lots with commercial floor area within about 0.4 mi of Midtown South's commercial core, and each lot counts toward one neighborhood only, so boundaries are approximate. Building figures are the city's floor-area estimates, not available space.
MTA station data
Subway stations in Midtown South
Every station within about 0.5 mi of Midtown South's commercial core, closest first. Stations joined by a free transfer count once.
- Stations
- 10
- Subway lines
- 12
- Fully accessible
- 3 of 10
- Closest
- 28 St, 1 min walk
The 10 stations
- 28 St
- 28 St
- 28 St
- 23 St
- 23 St
- 34 St-Herald Sq
- 33 St
- 34 St-Penn Station
- 23 St
- 23 St-Baruch College
Lines
The 1, 2, 3, 6, B, D, F, M, N, Q, R and W trains stop within about 0.5 mi of Midtown South's core.
Step-free access
- 34 St-Herald Sq (B D F M N Q R W) is fully accessible.
- 34 St-Penn Station (1 2 3) is fully accessible.
- 23 St-Baruch College (6) is fully accessible.
- 28 St (6) is partly accessible (one direction only).
Source: Metropolitan Transportation Authority, MTA Subway Stations, pulled 2026-10-16. Walking times are straight-line estimates from the nearest point of Midtown South's commercial core (the same area as the building counts), so the street route is longer. Accessibility is the MTA's rating for the named station. PATH, LIRR, Metro-North and ferries are not in this data.
Before you sign
Plain-English guides to square footage, rent and lease terms in New York, and free calculators to run your own numbers.
How much is commercial rent in NYC? Per square foot, by borough
What NYC office, retail and industrial buildings collect per square foot in each borough, from the city's own filings, with the monthly math and the costs on top of rent.
Good guy guarantee in NYC commercial leases
How a good guy guarantee works in a NYC commercial lease: what it covers, how the guarantor gets released, what to negotiate and the 2025 surrender ruling.
Retail lease terms in New York: percentage rent, escalations and more
A New York retail lease covers much more than rent. Here is what percentage rent, escalations, pass-throughs, use clauses and restaurant terms mean for you.
Questions about retail space in Midtown South
Is there retail space for lease in Midtown South right now?
No retail space for lease in Midtown South is listed on Leasemark right now. Post what you need and Leasemark matches you the day a space that fits is listed; your contact details stay private until you accept an intro. Owners and brokers can list a space here for free.
How much does retail space cost in Midtown South?
Leasemark has no asking rents posted here yet, so here are the city's own numbers. Retail buildings in Manhattan collected a median $64.71 per square foot in 2024, and the middle half between $38.35 and $104.91, according to the income and expense statements owners file with the NYC Department of Finance (FY 2027 distributions, 1,328 filings). The city publishes these figures by borough, so this is Manhattan as a whole, not Midtown South alone. That is what buildings actually collected, with vacant space, concessions and leases signed years ago in the mix, so it is a baseline rather than a quote: a specific space's price depends on the building's class, floor, condition and the length of the lease.
How do I find retail space in Midtown South that is not publicly listed?
Post a requirement on Leasemark. Owners and listing brokers see what you need (without your contact details) and can respond with spaces, including ones that are not on the market yet. You choose who gets an intro.
How much retail space is there in Midtown South?
New York City's PLUTO tax lot data (26v2) records about 4.1 million square feet of retail floor area across 634 properties in the part of Midtown South Leasemark covers. The largest by that measure is 140 West 30th Street, at about 31,000 square feet. That is the existing building stock, not space currently for lease.
How many storefronts are vacant in Midtown South?
Owners registered 899 ground- and second-floor storefronts in the part of Midtown South Leasemark covers for the end of 2025, and 107 of them (11.9%) stood vacant on December 31, 2025, against 9.2% citywide and 12.7% here a year earlier. The most storefronts are on Fifth Avenue (104) and Madison Avenue (76). A vacant storefront is not always on the market: some are being renovated, held empty or already leased to a tenant who has not moved in.
Which large buildings in Midtown South have a vacant storefront?
Owners of 30 of the 135 large buildings Leasemark tracks in Midtown South with registered storefronts reported at least one vacant on December 31, 2025, 14 of them at 3 or more year ends in a row. The most vacant: 856 Avenue of the Americas (4 of 20 storefronts), 2 Park Avenue (3 of 10 storefronts) and 29th Street Towers, 214 West 29th Street (3 of 3 storefronts). Each building's page shows its filings by year. A vacant storefront is not always on the market: some are being renovated, held empty or already leased to a tenant who has not moved in.
What subway lines serve Midtown South?
Ten subway stations sit within about 0.5 mi of Midtown South's commercial core, served by the 1, 2, 3, 6, B, D, F, M, N, Q, R and W trains. The closest is 28 St (R W), roughly 1 minute on foot; then 28 St (6), 28 St (1), 23 St (F M), 23 St (R W), 34 St-Herald Sq (B D F M N Q R W), 33 St (6) and 3 more. Walking times are straight-line estimates from MTA station data.
Do tenants in Midtown South pay the NYC Commercial Rent Tax?
Yes, for larger leases. Midtown South is in Manhattan below 96th Street, where the city's Commercial Rent Tax applies. A tenant owes it only when base rent for the space is $250,000 a year or more. The tax is 6% of base rent after a 35% reduction, so 3.9% of rent, with a sliding credit between $250,000 and $300,000, and the Small Business Tax Credit wipes it out for businesses with total income of $5 million or less and base rent under $500,000.
Is it free to post on Leasemark?
Yes. Posting a space or a requirement is free. Contact details are only shared when both sides accept an intro.