pornographic videos. Lavoisier Properties, a Dutch Antillean company, purchased the Bush Tower in 1980 or 1981. American Properties, a company owned by the Dalloul family of Lebanon, was formed in 1983 to take over management of the building. The owners considered demolishing and replacing the Bush Tower, letting many tenants' leases expire. However, American Properties president Nicholas B. Ghattas recommended that the structure instead be overhauled, in anticipation that Times Square and West 42nd Street would rebound from its economic decline. The owners unsuccessfully tried to evict a porn shop at 136 West 42nd Street, which they believed to be driving down rental rates at the Bush Tower. The Bush Tower was renovated from 1983 to 1985, with heating and electrical systems replaced throughout. The lobby was also widened, the elevators were replaced, the facade was cleaned and repaired, and new windows and restrooms were installed. The pornographic films being shown in the building's theater were also cleared out. At this time, the Bush Terminal Building was rebranded as "Bush Tower" to avoid confusion with the industrial facility in Sunset Park. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) held hearings in 1986 during which it considered the Bush Tower for city landmark status. Two years later, on October 18, 1988, the LPC designated the Bush Tower as a landmark. The impasse over the neighboring porn shop continued for over a decade; by the late 1990s, Ghattas expressed concern that the shop's presence was hindering redevelopment of the surrounding section of 42nd Street. 21st century In 1999, Lavoisier purchased the neighboring porn shop and announced plans to raze the shop and combine it with the Bush Tower's land lot. In 2002, the owners publicized their plans for 140 West 42nd Street, a 23-story glass tower to be built on that lot. The new building, designed by Gruzen Samton, was to be separated from the Bush Tower by a gap, necessitated by structural codes. Each floor of the new building was planned at the same level as the corresponding floor of the Bush Tower, allowing tenants of the latter to expand their space if needed. Dubai-based developer Istithmar World, owners of the Knickerbocker Hotel, purchased 136–140 West 42nd Street in 2006. The Dalloul family offered the Bush Tower for sale in 2006, but withdrew the offer when it failed to raise the $165 million sought. When the family listed the tower