Faded Memories of Macy’s
By Brian J. Pape
Faded red stars on the terra cotta decorations at 55 East 13th Street, built in 1891-94 by Isador and Nathan Straus. This was part of the original Macy’s complex. Image courtesy of Village Preservation.
56 West 14th Street was built in 1898 by Isador and Nathan Straus, and landmarked in 2011. Photo sent by Frank Quinn. Credit: Google Maps.
We received a letter in response to the Village View’s November article The Transformation of Sixth Avenue at 14th Street, and our question about Macy’s origins. Frank Quinn wrote “I believe the original Macy’s was at 56 West 14th. I remember in the late 70s when I first came to NYC the original Macy’s sign, which was metal, was still hanging between the two masks.”
That was enough for Village View to look further at this address. The answer was confirmed in numerous sources and led to additional information. We thank Frank Quinn for his interest.
In November 2015, Village Preservation wrote a blog about Macy’s early presence in Greenwich Village, since the iconic department store started out on the southeast corner of Sixth Avenue and 14th Street. R.H. Macy Dry Goods originally opened in a small building (since demolished) on this corner in 1858 and, as its success grew, it expanded into a number of neighboring buildings.
Macy’s is said to have “pioneered such revolutionary business practices as the one-price system, in which the same item was sold to every customer at one price, and quoting specific prices for goods in newspaper advertising.” Known for its creative merchandising, Macy’s was the first to introduce such products as the tea bag, the Idaho baked potato and colored bath towels.
14th Street looking east from Sixth Avenue, showing Macy’s on the right, which had expanded into a number of neighboring buildings. Note the entrance to the Sixth Avenue elevated train at the bottom left. This photo ca. 1892 was taken before 56 West 14 Street was built, probably in the lot just beyond the Macy’s signage band. Image courtesy of Jason Cochran and Village Preservation.
After R. H. Macy’s passing in 1877, the company remained in family hands until 1895, when brothers Isadore and Nathan Straus took over. In 1898 they built 56 West 14th Street but four years later they moved their department store to its present location on Herald Square. There, it was proclaimed to be the world’s largest department store!
In December 2011, the Landmarks Preservation Commission paid homage to the past by voting for landmark designation of the lovely Neo-Classical building at 56 West 14th Street – called Macy’s 14th Street Annex, as part of the original Macy’s complex.
It is not clear if any retail took place in the Macy’s 14th Street Annex or if it was just used for offices, storage, or rental space. According to the Landmarks report, “The former Macy’s 14th Street Annex, owned by the Straus family until 1939 and internally connected to the 13th Street Annex through the 20th century, housed a variety of firms over subsequent decades.”
Fourteenth Street was an upscale shopping district in the mid-19th and early-20th centuries. The area was originally known as Ladies Mile because it was lined with department stores frequented by fashionable women. The name later came to encompass a larger area that also included Broadway down to Wanamaker’s and Fifth and Sixth avenues from around 14th to 25th streets. Macy’s would have been at the entrance to this very stylish district.
Faded reminders of Macy’s presence also appear on another of its former buildings at 55 East 13th Street, which the Straus brothers built in 1891-94 and which now belongs to the New School.
