Malkin Holdings is relying on PR counsel from Sard Verbinnen & Co as it plans an initial public offering for a new real estate investment trust containing New York's Empire State Building.

The REIT, Empire State Realty Trust, is set to offer 71.5M shares in the $13-$15 range, a move which could reap as much as $1.07B.

Sard counseled the family-owned Malkin group this year through a court battle and its solicitation of the building's more than 2,700 investors to form the REIT.

The trust includes 8.4M rentable square feet of office and retail space. Six other Manhattan buildings are included, in addition to the ESB, as well as properties in Connecticut and Westchester County, N.Y.

The IPO push also comes after Malkin fended off at least three bids topping out at around $2B to buy the Empire State Building.