Co-working Company The Malin Subleases in Flatiron District

A boutique co-working company is expanding its Manhattan footprint to the top two floors of a historic Flatiron building.

The Malin inked a 33,000-square-foot sublease at 895 Broadway, the company announced. The space will have a 2,700-square-foot mezzanine, private offices, desks and other amenities. An Equinox gym occupies the bottom three floors of the building, which includes 897 and 899 Broadway.

A spokesperson for The Malin declined to comment on the length of the lease or the or asking rent but said Equinox has the master lease. The fitness chain once had its corporate headquarters there.

The Malin was founded by Irish furniture designer Ciaran McGuigan and focuses on stylishly designed spaces. It opened another location this month at TF Cornerstone’s 387 Park Avenue. The Flatiron outpost is expected to open in the spring.

The cast iron building between East 19th and East 20th streets was built for $500,000 in the 1860s and was originally a Lord & Taylor, according to the blog Daytonian in Manhattan. Thousands of shoppers attended the grand opening in 1870 and hand-hoisted elevators carried customers from floor to floor.

It later became known as the Calhoun, Robbins & Co. Building for the company that leased it in 1914. On May 17, 1922, it was the scene of a dramatic burglary attempt that police foiled with the help of an informant, the Daytonian reported. Garment manufacturer Saint Laurie bought the building in 1984 for $2 million and spent a bit more than that on renovations.

Equinox leased it in 1993 and converted the first three floors into a gym and the upper two floors into offices.

After the pandemic upended the office market, demand grew for co-working space as more tenants sought flexible options that allowed them to quickly expand or contract their footprints.

Now, co-working companies are sensing opportunity in the wake of WeWork’s bankruptcy.