Back row (L-R): John Pyrzenski, Christine Albert, Jackie Paterno, Ralph Vestbom, Jonathan Chung, Kevin Jean. Front row: (L-R): Jung Hae Han, Anthony DeMarco, Carrie Crater

In HCT Group’s airy new four-story private townhouse, the third floor showroom features two long walls of glass shelves laden with many of the avant-garde cosmetics, skin care and fragrance packages the company has developed and produced for customers ranging from MAC to Sephora. The striking, modern display contrasts nicely with a carefully restored century-old brick wall filled with windows looking out on the bustling street scenes below. Located at 1240 Avenue of the Americas, at the corner of 49th Street, the space suits the Group perfectly as untraditional meets traditional in a historic building in the middle of Rockefeller Center. In fact, Anthony DeMarco, executive vice president HCT East Coast, says on a client’s first visit to the new headquarters, he proclaimed: “You have captured the flare and creativity of Soho in Midtown Manhattan.”

(L-R): John Pyrzenski, Jackie Paterno, Anthony DeMarco

The structure dates back to the late 1800s and for many years housed Hurley’s bar, the gathering place for local television studio casts and crew, including Ed McMahon, who frequently referred to the place on “The Johnny Carson Show.”

As skyscrapers rose around it, Hurley’s remained virtually untouched. “Rockefeller Center was essentially built around this townhouse,” says DeMarco.

Now HCT’s business will continue to build in the beautifully renovated structure. DeMarco says HCT’s rapid expansion had made it necessary to find new accommodations in Manhattan so they could bring in additional engineers and designers, as well as provide a larger space for client meetings. He said it took more than a year to complete construction and to get the space just right.

The Group, once known primarily for color cosmetics packaging, has expanded its expertise to fragrance, airless pumps, brushes, point-of-sale (POS) displays and notably, turnkey production—handling complete launches from start to finish, from concept to store shelves. And, what’s more, most of the manufacturing is done at HCT’s own factories around the world, including facilities for injection molding, metals, brushes and filling.

In listing the Group’s many capabilities, John Pyrzenski, HCT’s sales director, says, “HCT is quickly growing to become vertically integrated.” He adds that the POS piggybacks on the full turnkey service the Group offers. “We give the customer something that’s salable, whether it’s the product or a full build-out including POS.”

HCT Group NY: 1240 Avenue of the Americas (corner of 49th); 212-586-0303