Clinton says he wants office space in Harlem

Clinton speaks to reporters Tuesday outside the Harlem building where he wants to rent office space

NEW YORK (CNN) -- Bill Clinton said Tuesday that he wants his new post-presidential office space in a building in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, instead of his first choice, a more expensive location in Midtown.

"I have decided to locate my office in this building if we can work it out," Clinton told reporters gathered on the sidewalk outside the Harlem building. "We're looking at it, we're working through it, and we'll work it out."

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Former presidents are allowed to charge the federal government for office space after their terms end.

The reported $700,500 annual rent for prestigious Carnegie Towers office space near Carnegie Hall in Midtown prompted outrage that the sum was too high.

"I have noticed, as some of you might have, some of the controversy in Washington surrounding the location of the site we looked at in Midtown, which had been approved by the GSA (General Services Administration)," Clinton told reporters gathered outside the newly designated Harlem building. "And it was not something I was paying a great deal of attention to while I was president. I spent most of my time thinking about my job.

The lobby of a building in New York's Harlem neighborhood is shown Tuesday where Clinton may lease office space

"So I asked myself ... if I could go anyplace in New York to have an office starting today, where would I go?" he said. "And immediately I thought of the empowerment zone in Harlem because one of the major initiatives of our economic renewal package in 1993 were the empowerment zones."

Clinton said "hundreds of millions of dollars" in investments have come to the neighborhood since the special economic zone was created. Businesses are offered incentives to locate in the area.

Harlem's 125th Street -- where the proposed office is located -- has been experiencing a renaissance in recent years, luring retailers and new construction, including a movie theater owned by Magic Johnson and a sports club. It's also a center of black culture in the city, featuring the Apollo Theater and numerous jazz clubs.

Clinton on Tuesday inspected the site, a full floor of a 14-story building at 125th Street and Fifth Avenue that has a private elevator, private bathroom and great views, according to U.S. Rep. Charles Rangel, a Democrat who represents Harlem and who helped to arrange the deal.

Across the street is an abandoned, four-story brownstone, a pharmacy and a women's hair salon.

Rent for the Harlem office space was said to be about half that of the Carnegie Towers location.

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