Photo courtesy of Newmark

A major player in Connecticut’s real estate scene is the new owner of a New Haven landmark.

The CEO of Centerplan Companies, Robert Landino, bought 555 Long Wharf Drive for $11 million through an LLC according to a deed-in-lieu filed with the New Haven city clerk’s office Oct. 16.

The class A office complex was in danger of foreclosure over the remaining $31 million balance on a $40 million M&T Bank mortgage that had matured in February 2023.

The bank had contracted commercial brokerage JLL this summer to arrange a sale of the asset, which was still owned by Fusco Companies, the firm that originally developed the 407,320-square-foot office complex in 1985.

Centerplan has been a presence in Connecticut’s real estate market for many years, and was originally tapped to redevelop Hartford’s Downtown North neighborhood until falling out with city officials over issues related to the construction of the district’s Dunkin’ Park baseball stadium.

Landino told The New Haven Independent that he plans to invest in the Long Wharf complex to draw tenants back. JLL’s listing had noted over 225,000 square feet of availabilities throughout the buildings this summer.

As for Fusco, it doesn’t appear to be done with the Long Wharf area just yet. The company told The Independent that it plans to continue with a waterfront apartment tower complex it has proposed for a neighboring parcel it still controls.