The number of such stores on Fifth Avenue north of 42d Street has fallen from 23 to 14 since 1985, according to tenant rosters.

And like the others, its tenant roster is limited mainly to government and community agencies.

"We decided that a varied tenant roster would enhance the value of the building, would make it resistant to a recession or an economic downturn in certain sectors."

The tenant roster includes L. L. Bean, a radio-television station, a biomedical laboratory and two insurance companies.

Small law firms now dominate the tenant roster.

Throughout the late 1990s and into the 2000s, several more big box stores were added to the mall's tenant roster.

Although the mall was still 85% occupied at the time, its tenant roster was largely composed of local stores.

But it can be a difficult task because no one wants to be a pioneer in a building whose biggest selling point is its potential tenant roster.

The location, at 57th Street, was certainly good, and the tenant roster, heavy on international banks and financial services, was stellar.

They represent 67.5 percent of the tenant roster.