T
he Anagram luxury rental apartment towers are expanding in Manhattan, with a new development at 300 E. 50th St. and Second Avenue. This location will also be home to Serafina Mare, the first seafood-driven venue from popular Italian trattoria brand Serafina, owned by Vittorio Assaf and Fabio Granato. The restaurant will occupy the entire ground-floor retail space of approximately 5,000 square feet.

    Serafina Mare is a strategic move for the brand, which has seen rapid growth in recent years. According to Josh Feder, senior vice president at Global Holdings, Serafina's team approached them about leasing the space before apartment leasing even began. The location holds special meaning for Granato, who lived in the building that was torn down for the Anagram development.

    The new Serafina will compete with La Pecora Bianca across the street, part of another growing Italian chain. Construction on Serafina Mare is expected to take nine months and will begin after the restaurant takes possession of the space on January 1.

    Anagram Turtle Bay, a 194-unit luxury rental apartment tower, is also set to open in August at 300 E. 50th St. The development team behind Anagram includes Global Holdings and MAG Partners. Meanwhile, engineering and development consulting firm Mott MacDonald NY has signed a lease for a full-floor space of approximately 25,372 square feet at the Empire State Building, where they will also continue to occupy their current space at 1400 Broadway.