Sony may sell its fancy New York City skyscraper

Sony's got a pretty swanky skyscraper in Manhattan. That skyscraper, however, may not feature Sony's logo much longer ' not to mention the employees it houses ' as the building is reportedly being considered for sale. The NY Post reports that Sony held talks with commercial real estate broker Newmark Grubb Knight Frank for the potential sale of the 55th and Madison-based, 37-story building.

Said talks apparently didn't conclude with a plan. A variety of potential outcomes are up in the air: renting out part of the building, selling the whole thing and leasing back part of it, and outright sale are all proposed in the piece.

"Sources familiar with the structure" valued the building at somewhere between $700 million and $1 billion, and Sony outright owns the structure ' that kind of capital infusion would significantly impact the ailing hardware manufacturer's bottom line. The company's fiscal 2012 results depict a grim reality for Sony, with even its Consumer Products & Services division (read: PlayStation) suffering losses.

[Image credit: Rafael Chamorro]