Manhattan Mall (former Gimbel's), New York, New York. Photographed 12/9/06. (Nicholas DiMaio)Note from Steve: Thanks to the generous contribution of Nicholas DiMaio of The Caldor Rainbow, I am able to present even more photos of the Manhattan Mall. Nick's photos were taken just before Christmas 2006, and show a lot of the details that I was not able to caputre in my pictures, including possibly the most neon-coverd McDonald's I've ever seen. LiveMalls thanks Nick extensively for his offering.
Manhattan Mall is located in Herald Square at the corner of 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue in New York. The building originally opened in 1910 as the flagship store for the iconic Gimbels department store chain, and was open until 1986 under that nameplate.
When Gimbels closed, the massive store was modernized and reconfigured as a vertical mall originally called A&S Plaza, which opened in 1989 with an 8-story Abraham & Strauss department store as its pimary anchor.
A&S's parent company, Federated Deaprtment Stores, merged with R.H. Macy Co. in 1994, and eventually combined the A&S and Macy's nameplates into a single Macy's brand. Since Macy's already had a store two blocks away, Federated transfered the former A&S to its Stern's division.
With Stern's as an anchor, the mall changed its name to Manhattan Mall and witnessed a gradual but distinct drop in popularity, hurt at least partly by the sudden proliferation of national chain stores taking up residence in nearby storefronts closer to Macy's, which culminated in near failure when the Stern's nameplate was discontinued in 2001.The mall was drastically reconfigured, eliminating nearly half of its original shopping levels, and replacing Stern's with a relocated food court and smaller anchors like Steve & Barry's University Sportswear and Charlotte Russe. The changes increased occupancy, but compared to its original opening, Manhattan Mall is not the gem it once was.
In an effort to stem the tide of losses and increase poplarity, the Manhattan Mall will soon be reconfigured again. On April 18, 2007, JCPenney announced that it would open a 150,000 square foot store at the mall, its first in Manhattan, in 2008 or 2009. The new store will take up much of the existing mall space, but will add a popular anchor that may help the mall viable in the future.
Manhattan Mall (former Gimbel's), New York, New York. Exterior entrance at 6th Avenue and 33st Street. Photographed 4/28/07.
Manhattan Mall (former Gimbel's), New York, New York. Interior atrium. Photographed 4/28/07.
Manhattan Mall (former Gimbel's), New York, New York. Interior atrium. Photographed 12/9/06. (Nicholas DiMaio)
Manhattan Mall (former Gimbel's), New York, New York. Interior atrium. Photographed 12/9/06. (Nicholas DiMaio)
Manhattan Mall (former Gimbel's), New York, New York. Interior atrium. Photographed 12/9/06. (Nicholas DiMaio)
Manhattan Mall (former Gimbel's), New York, New York. Exterior of McDonald's. Photographed 12/9/06. (Nicholas DiMaio)
Manhattan Mall (former Gimbel's), New York, New York. Interior of McDonald's. Photographed 12/9/06. (Nicholas DiMaio)
Just the other day I was kicking myself in the rear for not taking photos of this place back in 2001 when I paid a visit. It was right when Sterns was having a going out of business sale. The mall was kinda desolate looking. Looks like it has vastly improved.
ReplyDeleteI wish you would have...that would have been great.
ReplyDeleteI went here to this place for the first time in 1998 (back when Stern's was still going strong). It was a little desolate around the edges, but still doing okay. I went back in 2004, and it was pretty dead, like you remember it.
It's reversed course just long enough to have JCPenney plan to come in and take over a lot of the street and lower level space (by 2009) and drastically change the mall as you see it here. But even though the mall's curent form will be ruined, the upside is that maybe it'll stay relevant by having Penney's there.
I swung by here upon my second (in my life) NYC trip in December 2006. Got some photos of it, especially the wild McDonalds in here. The place was relatively packed, but felt a little odd having an enclosed shopping mall being in the midst of the city. I think I found Penn Station's retail to be a little more interesting (and aged).
ReplyDeleteLet me know if you want to see them, they're recent so they aren't too special.
Oh yeah, the McDonald's! That place rocks. I've never seen a Mickey D's with that color scheme or that much neon before. It was like they converted an arcade or something!
ReplyDeleteI think the mall concept can work, even in Manhattan, but you have to get stores that'll make people really weant to shop there. That's been the trouble for this place and Trump Tower: getting the right merchandise mix.
Anyway, if you'd like to share your pictures, that'd be great. I typically use 640x480 resolution, and I do give proper credit for submissions.
This was the A&S Plaza many years ago (I believe).
ReplyDeleteYou're right, Pat. From 1989 to 1995, this was A&S Plaza, with a 8 story A&S store at the rear of the mall.
ReplyDeleteWhat is that store under the *shudders* Steve & Barrys?
ReplyDelete^ I think it's the semi-upscale women's apparel store Charlotte Russe.
ReplyDeleteNitek's right. It's Charlotte Russe. Can't say I'm bowled over by it being there, but it's certainly popular.
ReplyDeletegorgeous. I crave NYC now.
ReplyDeleteIt's a city beyond comapare...and the stores are off the chain.
ReplyDelete