A tiny holdout building in the middle of Macy’s is back in view

(ephemeralnewyork.wordpress.com)

77 points | by donohoe 3 days ago

6 comments

  • hdgvhicv 4 hours ago
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Million_Dollar_Corner

    In September 2021, Macy's accused the billboard's owner Kaufman Realty of negotiating to lease the space to an online retailer before Macy's most recent lease expired that August. Macy's claimed that the lessee was almost certainly Amazon and filed for an injunction preventing Kaufman from leasing the space to a competitor. Macy's claimed that a 1963 agreement prohibited such a lease "forever" and that an Amazon billboard would be highly visible during the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.

  • justincormack 4 hours ago
    The London version of this is Spiegelhalters, in the middle of the ornate facade https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wickhams_(department_store)
  • dn3500 4 hours ago
    They have an odd definition of "middle".
  • mbStavola 5 hours ago
    I used to work one block from there. For years I got off at that station and walked past the building but had no idea it was hiding something like that. Amazing!
  • ungreased0675 3 days ago
    That building looks horrible, do people live there?
    • nkrisc 1 hour ago
      Based on the pictures I can’t imagine anyone legally living there.

      I don’t know for sure, but I imagine usable windows are required for living spaces.

      • timr 8 minutes ago
        Every bedroom of a rental is required to have a window in New York.

        But in this part of town, the advertising rights alone probably vastly exceed any possible revenue from renting the building for residential use. It’s kind of like the tiny building in Times Square that has the ball on top. I don’t think people even realize there’s a building behind all of the billboards, but it was original New York Times building.

    • mc32 24 minutes ago
      I was thinking the same question. It certainly looks unoccupied -I can’t imagine people living in the other side but then again it _could_ be very well maintained and decorated on the inside despite the eyesore looks on the outside. Moreover since the lower floors are commercial it must mean that at least the upper floors are keeping out the elements.
    • UltraSane 33 minutes ago
      Not on the really rough looking floors. It has been used as a huge billboard for a very long time.
    • hdgvhicv 4 hours ago
      Ground floor is a shop, pepper floors are basically empty.
    • nephihaha 4 hours ago
      I know. I was expecting something easier on the eye. Maybe a century of being behind billboards has wrecked it. The 1906/1907 photographs look much better.
    • q3k 6 hours ago
      No, they just shop there.
  • Terretta 1 day ago
    “Hidden by billboards for over 100 years, the tiny holdout building in the middle of Macy’s is back in view‎”

    Initial word of headline necessary for comprehension