BY AL BARBARINO

Manhattan-based commercial real estate firm Castellan Real Estate Partners has purchased a luxury condominium building known as Hamilton Court in the Hamilton Heights section of Manhattan at 545 West 148th Street for nearly $6.9 million, city records show.

The seven-story Hamilton Court property consists of 36 renovated two- and three-bedroom homes with high ceilings and oak flooring throughout.

The development marries classic prewar architecture with modern amenities, with a classic terracotta exterior and a terrazzo-floored lobby, featuring original wrought-iron staircase. The furnished common roof terrace offers Hudson River and skyline views.

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BY BILLY GRAY

DHA Capital signed a 4,450-square-foot lease at 330 Seventh Avenue, The Commercial Observer has learned.

The real estate investment, development and advisory firm’s seven-year, three-month lease brings it to part of the 19th floor at the Midtown South tower on Seventh Avenue at 29th Street.

Arkady Smolyansky and Michael Hirsch of CBRE represented the tenant. Michael Driezen of Newmark Grubb Knight Frank represented the landlord, Four Star Holding Company. Asking rent was in the high $40 a foot range.

“After exploring the entire market, DHA was impressed by the value and quality of the product that 330 Seventh Avenue was able to offer,” said Mr. Hirsch. “In addition to a brand new high-end prebuilt, we were also able to secure expansion rights for DHA, which was important to them as a growing firm.”

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BY GUS DELAPORTE

Waterman Interests has signed a 75-year master lease at 400 Park Avenue, it was announced yesterday. Waterman, owner of the leasehold, struck the deal with Benenson Capital Partners, owner of the land. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

“What was rewarding to us and energizing about the transaction was it was terrific to work on something in a collaborative fashion in a situation when at times it can be adversarial,” Tod Waterman, founder and managing member of Waterman Interests, told The Commercial Observer.

Waterman acquired the leasehold in August of 2010 from RFR Holdings in a joint venture with institutional investors. The acquisition, advised by J.P. Morgan Asset Management, was free of debt financing.

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BY MICHAEL EWING

The New York University Schack Institute of Real Estate and its Alumni Association will host its annual Evening of Monopoly tonight at the Morgan Library & Museum This year's honorary banker is Michael P. Higgins, the managing director and head of real estate finance at CIBC World Markets Corp.
NYU Schack Institute Evening of Monopoly, the Morgan Library & Museum, 29 East 36th Street, 6:30-9:30pm; visit http://www.scps.nyu.edu/academics/departments/schack/alumni/alumni-events/alumni-monopoly-night.html for more information.

Join Scott Alper, principal of the Witkoff Group, for a luncheon and discussion on a developer’s perspective on New York’s future. Admission is $70 in advance and $80 at the door.
A Developer’s Perspective on New York’s Future, Cornell Club, 6 East 44th Street, Ivy Room, 12:30-2pm; contact Aracelis Kuilan at (212) 885-7239 for more information.

CoreNet is hosting a panel on the ins and outs of benchmarking. The panel will include Pat Pryor of UBS, Gagan Singh of Goldman Sachs and CoreNet Global’s Peter Holland.
CoreNet Workshop: Do You Measure Up? A Panel on the Ins and Outs of Benchmarking, Steelcase, 4 Columbus Circle, 11:30am-1:30pm; visit www.corenetglobal.org for more information.

Join Women’s eNews for its 12th Annual Gala honoring its 21 Leaders for the 21st Century, a list of individuals dedicated to improving the lives of women around the world.
12th Annual Gala benefitting Women’s eNews, JW Marriot Essex House, 160 Central Park South, 6pm; call (212) 244-1720 or email 21leaders@womensenews.org for more information.