New York's Seagram Building turns its offices into a playground

As the COVID 19 pandemic shows signs of easing, employers are getting creative in luring workers back into the office, and it's working. Office use hit a post-pandemic high of 47.5% within 10 major metro areas earlier this month.

The percentage is much greater at the Seagram Building on Manhattan's Park Avenue.

The Seagram's employees have an edge over their New York City neighbors thanks to the developer RFR Holding.

RFR converted the space from a parking garage into a first-of-its-kind amenity space, known as The Playground, for employees to be located at 375 Park Avenue. Head of Marketing and Design Development Sheldon Werdiger told Yahoo Finance that the industry is where it is going. It's going to become the norm. Amenity used to be a clich We don't like working with clich s, we want to do something that is outstanding, that is different. From the moment you walk into the expansive space, you're greeted by a 22 foot climbing wall with 10 different tracks for different skill levels.

Director of Fitness Programming Allee Colon told Yahoo Finance that they were trying to create a community. We want to get people to come out of their rut and socialize again. We are trying to establish a work-life balance culture. Colon said the most popular feature is the early morning spin class. Adjacent to the wall is a pickleball court and full-court basketball.

There is also a 3,500 square-foot fitness center with treadmills, Peloton bikes, elliptical machines, weights, heavy bags, and a high-intensity interval training system. Yoga, pilates, martial arts, and meditation classes are held in a Flex Room. The most common use of sweat before work is to work up a sweat, but the real fun comes after hours. That s when a 16 foot by 9 foot screen drops from the ceiling and the basketball court turns into a 150 seat stadium-style theater. There is a pool table, foosball and ping-pong table for those still up for some competition.

When Mr. Rosen gave us $25 million to spend on this, he said we either do something extraordinary or don't do anything at all.

Prior to the opening of The Playground, the Seagram Building had 250 thousand square feet of unleased space.

Werdiger said we were helping you by giving you an alternative to sitting in your bedroom or home office versus coming here and having a pickup game with your colleagues.

If you are a tenant, you are automatically a member. Together with Arch Amenities Group, RFR built a smartphone app that allows employees to reserve time on the court, in the climbing wall, or in the spin room.

Zach Pointon, Arch head of hospitality, said that our approach to hospitality transforms from a physical experience into a digital experience.

David Briggs is an anchor at Yahoo Finance.