Manhattan Mall

Manhattan Mall is an indoor shopping mall in New York City located at 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue in the heart of Midtown Manhattan and home to dozens of well-known retailers. There are entrances to the New York City Subway's 34th Street–Herald Square station and the PATH's 33rd Street station on the second basement level. It is one of the few malls in the city that provides no off-street parking for shoppers. The mall's JCPenney anchor store operated until 2020.

Manhattan Mall
Exterior of Manhattan Mall from 33rd Street
LocationManhattan, New York City, New York, United States
Coordinates40.749°N 73.989°W / 40.749; -73.989
Address100 West 33rd Street
Opening date1989
ManagementVornado Realty Trust
OwnerVornado Realty Trust
No. of stores and services40
No. of anchor tenants1 (0 open, 1 vacant)
Total retail floor area243,000 square feet (22,600 m2)
No. of floors4 (2 upper and 2 lower levels)
Public transit accessNew York City Subway: B, ​D, ​F, <F>, ​M​, N, ​Q, ​R, and ​W trains at 34th Street-Herald Square
PATH: JSQ-33, JSQ-33 (via HOB), HOB-33 at 33rd Street
Websitewww.vno.com/street-retail/property/manhattan-mall/100-west-33rd-street/3311653/landing

History

The structure was originally built as the flagship of the Gimbels department store chain. It was designed by famed architect Daniel Burnham and opened on September 29, 1910. The store was located in the cluster of large department stores that surrounded Herald Square, in Midtown Manhattan. It offered 27 acres (110,000 m2) of selling space. A major selling point was its many doors leading to the Herald Square New York City Subway station. Due to such easy access, by the time Gimbels closed in 1986, this store had the highest rate of "shrinkage", or shoplifting losses, in the world.[1] Doors also opened to a pedestrian passage under 33rd Street, connecting Penn Station to the 34th Street (New York City Subway) and 33rd Street (PATH) stations. This Gimbels Passageway was closed in the 1990s for security reasons during a period of high crime.

Gimbels closed in 1986. After a renovation, the structure reopened in 1989 as A&S Plaza, anchored by an A&S department store. The mall was originally 13 stories high, but difficult access to upper floors made the whole mall a financial failure.

A&S closed in 1995 and the anchor store became Stern's after Federated Department Stores took acquisition of the brand. The structure was renamed Manhattan Mall, due to the closure of A&S.[2] Stern's closed in 2001, after Federated Department Stores decided to discontinue the brand.[3] Unlike other Stern's stores, the Manhattan Mall location was not converted to a Macy's. Instead, the anchor store was divided into smaller spaces, including a Steve & Barry's and a relocated food court. The upper 10 levels were converted to office space shortly after the closure of Stern's.

Venture bought the building in 1999 for $135 million and sold it to Vornado Realty Trust in 2006 for $689 million.[4]

On April 18, 2007, JCPenney announced that it would open a 150,000-square-foot (14,000 m2) anchor store on the lower levels of the mall. It was the first JCPenney store in Manhattan.[5] The mall's food court, which contained the only Arby's restaurant in Manhattan at the time,[6] along with retailers such as Steve & Barry's, Brookstone and Nine West were closed in 2008 to make way for the new store. The store officially opened on July 31, 2009. On July 7, 2020, JCPenney closed permanently as part of a plan to close 151 stores nationwide.[7]

  • Advertisement celebrating the grand opening of Gimbels' flagship store, 1910
  • Manhattan Mall, seen from the Empire State Building
  • Under renovation
  • Former shops, now offices

References
  1. Shulkin M.D, Mark Weiss (May 19, 2011). 100 Years In America: A History of a Jewish Family a Century After Immigration. Bloomington, Indiana: iUniverse. p. 30. ISBN 978-1462010431. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  2. "A&S Plaza changed its name to Manhattan Mall on April 30.(in New York, New York)(Brief Article)". 1995-04-21. Archived from the original on 2017-10-06. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  3. Tharp, Paul (2001-02-09). "Stern's Shutting its Doors Forever". New York Post. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
  4. Weiss, Lois (November 29, 2006). "Herald Square Dance: Frenzy of Commercial Deals in Retail Mecca". New York Post.
  5. Kavilanz, Parija B. (April 18, 2007). "JCPenney to open first Manhattan store: Department store chain announces it will open its first Big Apple location in the Manhattan Mall; ups first-quarter profit guidance". CNN.
  6. "R.I.P. Manhattan Mall Food Court (and the only Arby's In Manhattan) | Midtown Lunch - Finding Lunch in the Food Wasteland of NYC's Midtown Manhattan". midtownlunch.com. Retrieved 2017-06-14.
  7. https://www.businessinsider.com/jcpenney-closing-more-stores-nyc-addresses-2020-7
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