A lobby is the calling card of a commercial building – the first impression for a visitor and the last thing a tenant sees before leaving – so it’s no surprise that landlords are revamping them, turning them into showcases as much as entrances.

L. Joseph Baglio, executive vice president at Woodbury-based CLK Houlihan Parnes, likened the lobby to “the cover of the book” – if you like the lobby, you’re more likely to read on.

So landlords are lobbying the public – literally – by tearing down walls, raising the roof and adding luxurious skylights to better appeal to tenants and compete with rival property owners.

“It all falls into marketing,” Baglio said. “Once you get a prospective tenant into a building, it helps to market it better than the building down the street that hasn’t been renovated.”

Herb Agin, chief executive of Sutton & Edwards Inc. in Lake Success, said landlords such as CLK and Treeline Co. are targeting these key public spaces to make a statement. CLK, he noted, aggressively revamped the lobbies of many structures in its portfolio, including 7600 Jericho Turnpike in Woodbury.

“They made it a more dramatic entrance into the building,” Agin said.

At 1000 Woodbury Road, also in Woodbury, CLK went to even greater lengths to create a more welcoming walk-in. “They moved a staircase from one side to another to give it more of an expanse when you come in,” Agin said. “They redid a central core area to give it a nicer view.”

CLK also revamped the lobby, corridors, bathrooms and elevators at 100 Crossways Park Drive West in Woodbury. Agin said CLK is using lobby remakes and larger renovations to not only freshen looks, but to claim higher rents than before.

“Their attitude is – and I think they’re correct – that when you [renovate] and the market is the way it is today, you have an opportunity to secure a better tenancy,” Agin said.