Related Party Transactions |
12 Months Ended |
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Dec. 31, 2025 | |
| Related Party Transactions [Abstract] | |
| Related Party Transactions | Related Party Transactions Sale of Westport Retail Properties On February 1, 2023, we closed on the disposition of our retail assets located at 69-97 and 103-107 Main Street in Westport, Connecticut, for total consideration of $40.0 million, to an entity affiliated with our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Anthony E. Malkin (the “Westport Transaction”). The Company determined to make the sale to the related party entity after a marketed sale process conducted from February 2022 through August 2022 through a broker in which it received several third-party bids. Deals with third-party purchasers failed to materialize due to adverse changes in capital market conditions during that time. The Westport Transaction materialized due to timing because the related party entity had recently completed a sale of property and was in the market for exchange property to defer tax in a 1031 exchange, and the Company recently executed on the acquisition of 298 Mulberry Street. The $40.0 million valuation for the Westport Transaction is in the range of the bids the Company received during the marketed sale process. The Company has a written Related Party Transactions Policy (the “Policy”) which requires the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee to review the material facts of all related party transactions and consider all relevant factors in approving any related party transaction. Further, the Policy provides that a director or executive officer shall not participate in any consideration, discussion or approval of such related party transaction in which he or she is a related party. The Westport Transaction process was completed in compliance with the Policy. The independent members of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee conducted an independent review under the guidance of outside counsel and then approved the transaction. The Company reviewed with outside counsel best practices for the specific Westport Transaction and took additional precautions to ensure an arms-length process. There were separate counsels and appraisals for both buyer and seller. Tax Protection Agreements Tax Protection Agreement with Certain Continuing Investors In connection with our formation transactions, we and ESRT entered into a tax protection agreement with certain continuing investors, including Anthony E. Malkin and Peter L. Malkin, relating to specified contributed properties (the “Protected Properties”). The agreement continues to relate to 86-90 North 6th Street (which is a "substituted basis property" for Metro Center, which was sold in December 2025), 298 Mulberry Street (which is the "substituted basis property" for 10 Bank Street, which was sold in December 2022) and 1542 Third Avenue. The agreement generally restricts, during applicable tax protection periods, certain dispositions of Protected Properties (including certain indirect transfers) to the extent such transactions would cause a protected party to recognize pre-contribution built-in gain, unless the required consent is obtained or the operating partnership makes a payment intended to compensate the protected party for the resulting tax liability. The agreement also includes provisions intended to mitigate taxable gain that could result from reductions in a protected party’s share of operating partnership liabilities. Among other things, during defined periods the operating partnership has agreed to maintain or refinance certain property-level indebtedness in a manner intended to preserve agreed liability allocations and, in specified circumstances, to provide protected parties with the opportunity to enter into guarantees or deficit restoration obligations designed to support their minimum liability allocations. These protections terminate at different times depending on the applicable property and investor and are subject to specified ownership and other conditions. If triggered, our obligations under this agreement could restrict asset dispositions or refinancing transactions or require payments that could be material. Stockholders Agreement with Q REIT Holding LLC (QIA) In 2016, in connection with ESRT's sale of a 9.9% fully diluted interest to Q REIT Holding LLC, we entered into a stockholders agreement that includes a tax-related indemnification provision. Under this provision, subject to specified annual and cumulative thresholds based on QIA’s applicable investment, we have agreed to indemnify QIA for certain U.S. federal and state income and branch profits taxes actually paid by QIA in respect of dividends attributable to capital gain from the sale or exchange of U.S. real property interests. The indemnification is subject to specified procedural requirements, exclusions and limitations, and generally terminates one year following the date on which QIA’s ownership falls below 10% of our outstanding common shares, subject to certain exceptions. If triggered, this indemnification could result in payments that could be material. Registration Rights We entered into a registration rights agreement with certain persons receiving shares of ESRT common stock or operating partnership units in the formation transactions, including certain members of ESRT's senior management team and our other continuing investors. In connection therewith, we have filed, and are obligated to maintain the effectiveness of, an automatically effective shelf registration statement, along with a prospectus supplement, with respect to, among other things, shares of ESRT Class A common stock that may be issued upon redemption of operating partnership units or issued upon conversion of shares of ESRT Class B common stock to continuing investors in the public existing entities. Pursuant to the registration rights agreement, under certain circumstances, ESRT will also be required to undertake an underwritten offering upon the written request of the Malkin Group, which we refer to as the holder, provided (i) the registrable shares to be registered in such offering will have a market value of at least $150.0 million, (ii) ESRT will not be obligated to effect more than two underwritten offerings during any 12-month period; and (iii) the holder will not have the ability to effect more than four underwritten offerings. In addition, if ESRT files a registration statement with respect to an underwritten offering for its own account or on behalf of the holder, the holder will have the right, subject to certain limitations, to register such number of registrable shares held by him, her or it as each such holder requests. With respect to underwritten offerings on behalf of the holder, ESRT will have the right to register such number of primary shares as it requests; provided, however, that if cut backs are required by the managing underwriters of such an offering, ESRT's primary shares shall be cutback first (but in no event will our shares be cut back to less than $25.0 million). ESRT has also agreed to indemnify the persons receiving rights against specified liabilities, including certain potential liabilities arising under the Securities Act, or to contribute to the payments such persons may be required to make in respect thereof. ESRT has agreed to pay all of the expenses relating to the registration and any underwritten offerings of such securities, including, without limitation, all registration, listing, filing and stock exchange or FINRA fees, all fees and expenses of complying with securities or “blue sky” laws, all printing expenses and all fees and disbursements of counsel and independent public accountants retained by ESRT, but excluding underwriting discounts and commissions, any out-of-pocket expenses (except ESRT will pay any holder’s out-of-pocket fees (including disbursements of such holder’s counsel, accountants and other advisors) up to $25,000 in the aggregate for each underwritten offering and each filing of a resale shelf registration statement or demand registration statement), and any transfer taxes. Employment Agreement and Change in Control Severance Agreements ESRT entered into employment agreements with Anthony E. Malkin and Christina Chiu, which provide for salary, bonuses and other benefits, including among other things, severance benefits upon a termination of employment under certain circumstances and the issuance of equity awards. In addition, ESRT entered into change in control severance agreements with Thomas P. Durels and Stephen V. Horn. Indemnification of Our Directors and Officers We entered into indemnification agreements with each of ESRT's directors, executive officers, chairman emeritus and certain other parties, providing for the indemnification by us for certain liabilities and expenses incurred as a result of actions brought, or threatened to be brought, against (i) ESRT's directors, executive officers and chairman emeritus and (ii) ESRT's executive officers, chairman emeritus and certain other parties who are former members, managers, securityholders, directors, limited partners, general partners, officers or controlling persons of our predecessor in such capacities. Excluded Properties and Businesses The Malkin Group, including Anthony E. Malkin, ESRT's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, owns non-controlling interests in, and Anthony E. Malkin and Peter L. Malkin control the general partners or managers of, the entities that own interests in seven multi-family properties and three net leased retail properties. The Malkin Group also owns non-controlling interests in one Manhattan office property, two Manhattan retail properties and several retail properties outside of Manhattan, none of which were contributed to us in the formation transactions, and two retail properties in Westport, Connecticut acquired from ESRT in February 2023 (see Sale of Westport Retail Properties above). We refer to the non-controlling interests described above collectively as the excluded properties. In addition, the Malkin Group owns three property managers, which we refer to collectively as the excluded businesses. We do not believe that the excluded properties or the excluded businesses are consistent with our current commercial portfolio or strategic direction. Pursuant to management and/or service agreements with the owners of interests in those excluded properties and businesses, we are designated as the asset manager (supervisor) and/or property manager of the excluded properties, provide services to certain of the excluded properties and the other excluded businesses. As the manager or service provider, we are paid a management or other fee with respect to those excluded properties and businesses where our predecessor had previously received a management fee and reimbursed for our costs in providing the management and other services to those excluded properties and businesses where our predecessor had not previously received a management fee. Our management of the excluded properties and provision of services to the three residential property managers and the existing managers of the other excluded businesses represent a minimal portion of our overall business. There is no established time period in which we will continue to provide such services; and Peter L. Malkin and Anthony E. Malkin expect to sell certain properties or unwind these businesses over time. We are not precluded from acquiring all or certain interests in the excluded properties or businesses. If we were to attempt any such acquisition, we anticipate that Anthony E. Malkin, our Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, will not participate in the negotiation process on our behalf with respect to our potential acquisition of any of these excluded properties or businesses, and the approval of a majority of our independent directors will be required to approve any such acquisition. Services are and were provided by us to excluded properties and businesses. These transactions are reflected in our consolidated statements of operations as third-party management and other fees. We earned asset management (supervisory) and service fees from excluded properties and businesses of $1.2 million, $0.8 million and $0.9 million during the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We earned property management fees from excluded properties of $0.2 million, $0.3 million and 0.3 million during the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023. Other We receive rent generally at market rental rate for 5,447 square feet of leased space from an entity affiliated with Anthony E. Malkin at one of our properties. Under the lease, the tenant has the right to cancel such lease without special payment on 90 days’ notice. We also have a shared use agreement with such tenant to occupy a portion of the leased premises as the office location for Peter L. Malkin, our chairman emeritus, utilizing approximately 15% of the space, for which we pay to such tenant an allocable pro rata share of the cost. We also have agreements with these entities and excluded properties and businesses to provide them with general computer-related support services. Total aggregate revenue was $0.3 million, $0.3 million and $0.2 million for the years ended December 31, 2025, 2024 and 2023, respectively. One of our directors, Hannah Yang, is sister to Heela Yang, who is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sol de Janeiro USA, a tenant at One Grand Central Place — the 11-year 57,203 square foot lease, commenced in April 2025 with a starting annualized rent of $3.5 million. In connection with this lease, the Company performed tenant-specific improvements of approximately $6.0 million. Sol de Janeiro is a subsidiary of L’Occitane, a tenant at 111 W. 33rd Street. RRE Ventures, in which one of our directors, James D. Robinson IV, is a general partner, owns an approximately 17% interest in Pilot Fiber Inc. (“Pilot Fiber”). A subsidiary of Pilot Fiber is a licensee at the Empire State Building, where they license space for equipment. The license commenced in July 2025 and calls for an initial annual license fee of $114,000, with annual increases that result in the fee exceeding $120,000 beginning in the third year of the term. In addition, Pilot Fiber currently provides internet connectivity services at three of our properties and is expected to be expanded to additional buildings within our portfolio. Based on current installations and anticipated expansions, we estimate we will make annual payments to Pilot Fiber that total approximately $110,000.
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