Employees work at the Bike New York office in New York, Sept. 10, 2025. Bike New York is one of many organizations that are helping to revive demand in older office spaces. (Karsten Moran/The New York Times)
When Ken Podziba, chief executive of Bike New York, was searching for office space, his priorities were a good deal near public transportation and a building where his employees could take their bikes upstairs if they cycled to work.
“We don’t care about the amenities,” said Podziba, whose non-profit organisation teaches cycling and plans group rides, including the annual TD Five Boro Bike Tour. “It doesn’t matter to us at all if a building has a pool table or fancy food.”
Podziba looked at two dozen spaces before deciding on a nine-storey building constructed in 1922 on East 45th Street, steps from Grand Central Terminal. There is no door attendant, and the view – of other buildings – is not glamorous. Amenities? The Irish pub MJ Smith’s on the ground floor.
But the space, which rented for about $9,000 a month, had 232sq m (2,500sq ft). Since the staff of 15 moved there in late 2023, they’ve added an under-desk exercise bike as well as a trainer, a stand on which a bike can be mounted so employees can pedal
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