Though it is best known as the first headquarters of FAO Schwarz, or as “the Jewelry Building,” in the beginning, cars and trains-not of the toy variety-figured more heavily than retail did in the story of 303 Fifth Avenue.
The 20-story office tower, designed by Buchman and Fox Architects, rose in 1909, when America’s railroad Read More
On Oct. 7, the City Council passed the first of two laws that would allow business improvement districts to take joint custody of properties that fall within the boundaries of more than one BID.
Together, the bills will end what has essentially been a three-year, amicable custody battle between the Times Square Alliance and the Read More
He is known as one of the most prolific Beaux-Arts architects of the Jazz Age by critics, as well as the designer of the Chrysler Building. Some may even remember him as a “Doctor of Altitude,” a title he was awarded by The Architect magazine in 1929, before the Great Depression pushed Art Deco skyscrapers Read More
The New York Times reported that on April 30, 1930, “the roar of the riveting machines” fastening together the steel skeleton of the 1,250-foot Empire State Building were silenced so former New York governor and president of Empire State Inc. Al Smith could address retailers gathered at the James McCreery and Co. Department Store.
“Manhattan Read More
Just as workers were milling about 100 Church Street’s famously gaudy lobby at lunch hour on Aug. 26, an official from the Department of Buildings began plastering two violation notices in the windows of Bank of America on the ground floor. The citation faulted “signage,” in this case a racy advertisement for a teenage television Read More
The Sapir Organization has finally let go of 100 Church Street, the beleagured 21-story commercial tower it bought in 1997. SL Green, one of Sapir’s creditors, took over leasing and management of the building about a week ago, after the Sapirs withdrew a suit filed earlier this month against them and another Read More
Calls about financial issues have increased at the city’s 311 hub, according to its executive director, Joe Morrisroe, especially from people wondering where their property tax rebate check is or whether they will get one at all this year.
Operators have a standard answer from the Department of Consumer Affairs: "Due to budget Read More
When New York’s real estate market was at its peak, condo buyers and investors were not in the position to quibble if the ceiling of their new apartment was a few inches shorter than the one in the sponsor’s offering plan or if common charges were a couple hundred dollars more than expected. Now that Read More
“Tin Pan Alley is gone,” Bob Dylan wrote in the jacket of his 1997 album Biograph. “I put an end to it.”
The neighborhood that was once the hub of the American music-publishing industry in the early 20th century has undergone many transformations since it became known as Tin Pan Alley. Between 1893 Read More
Recession or not, when Erin Lima makes the trip from Philadelphia to New York City, “shopping is inevitable.”
“Every time you come here you have to,” she said, while browsing the handbag section of Bergdorf Goodman on Saturday with her husband in tow. “You can’t help yourself.”
The Limas and another couple Read More
