Marx Realty has entered into a partnership with Please Don’t Tell (PDT), a speakeasy based in downtown Manhattan, to introduce a new concept called Highball Ltd. at the 10 Grand Central office tower in Midtown Manhattan. The venue will be located within the office property and is designed as an extension of PDT’s established speakeasy model.
Highball Ltd. is the latest project from Jeff Bell, managing partner of the East Village speakeasy PDT, together with his partners at Apres Cru Hospitality. The collaboration brings together Marx Realty as the building owner and the team behind one of Manhattan’s better-known speakeasies to deliver a hospitality-focused experience inside a Midtown office environment.
Craig Deitelzweig, CEO of Marx Realty, said the Highball Ltd. concept aligns with the firm’s broader effort to create an elevated environment within its properties. He noted that the venue is intended to blur the lines between workplace and luxury hotel, emphasizing an “exceptional experience” for users of the building. According to Deitelzweig, the design will reflect the architectural history of 10 Grand Central and its immediate surroundings near Grand Central Terminal.
The partnership marks the first time the PDT team will operate in Midtown. PDT originally opened in 2007 in the East Village and is widely recognized for helping pioneer the modern speakeasy movement in Manhattan. Its initial location is concealed behind a telephone booth inside the Crif Dogs restaurant, a format that has become closely associated with the brand.
By situating Highball Ltd. within 10 Grand Central, Marx Realty is adding a hospitality-driven feature to an existing office asset in a central Manhattan location. The project brings the downtown-born speakeasy brand into a Midtown setting for the first time, while drawing on the building’s historic character and proximity to a major transit hub as part of the overall concept.
