NEW YORK CITY — In spring 2012, construction will begin on the $400 million renovation of the 2.2 million-square-foot Macy’s flagship store, located at Herald Square in New York City. The four-year project, which will create 1,600 construction-related positions, is slated for completion in the fall of 2015.
The iconic flagship store opened in 1902 on the corners of Broadway and 34th Street, and Seventh Avenue and 34th Street. Three phases of expansion occurred between 1902 and 1931, when the store reached its current size. The renovation will impact both the interior and the exterior of the building.
Highlights of the remodel include:
– A 100,000-square-foot expansion of selling space, to total 1.2 million square feet.
– Creation of a 63,000-square-foot women’s shoe department (including stockrooms). It will be the largest women’s shoe department in the world.
– Expansion of men’s merchandise, which will span 200,000 square feet on seven floors upon completion.
– A 1,100-seat table-service restaurant on the sixth floor with window access to Broadway and views of the Empire State Building and Midtown Manhattan.
– The addition of home merchandise on the eighth and ninth floors, including a demonstration kitchen and De Gustibus Cooking School.
– Addition of 300 fitting rooms and restroom facilities.
– Preservation of 42 of the 43 historic wooden escalators in the current store.
– Restoration and re-opening of the “Memorial Entrance” on 34th Street.
– Replaced sidewalks, addition of awnings and canopies reminiscent of the original building and the addition of new exterior lighting.
“The excitement, size and scale of this remodel reinforces our conviction that Macy’s Herald square is and will remain a retail store in a class by itself,” said Terry J. Lundgren, chairman, president and CEO of Macy’s, Inc., in a statement. “It is our company’s most productive store and experience shows that improvements in this location consistently result in higher customer traffic and sales volume. Our upcoming top-to-bottom remodel represents an investment in the future growth of our business as New York City continues to evolve as a world capital and shopping destination.”
For a full list of renovations, visit Macys.com.
— Savannah Duncan