Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Herald Square's "Hidden" Building
By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 3, 2011
Modified Mar 3, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
View all 3
By
Jen Carlson
Published Mar 3, 2011
Modified Mar 3, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Did you think there were gifts in that giant shopping bag off the side of the Macy's in Herald Square? Well, there are not oversized gifts, not for you, not for anybody. There is, however, a nice five-story building, and Ephemeral NY has the details.
The site notes that "old photos reveal a five-story building sticking out like a sore thumb in front of the world’s most iconic department store." If you knew there was a building under Macy's changing adornments there, the interesting part of the story is that Macy's doesn't own it, and it's "one of the most famous 'holdouts' in New York real estate history."
The site goes on to explain that around 1900 Macy's began acquiring land in the Herald Square area, and had a verbal agreement to buy a plot on the corner of 34th and Broadway, but an agent acting on behalf of a rival department store, Siegel-Cooper, got the plot instead. They offered it to Macy's in exchange for their 14th Street store, but that offer was declined. Siegel-Cooper built their 5-story building in 1903, and Macy's built up their massive store around it!
Not long after this real estate war, Isidor Straus—co-owner with brother Nathan of R.H. Macy & Co.—lost her life during the Titanic tragedy.
Tagged
history
real estate
herald square
macy's
Siegel-Cooper
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Will Barnes and Noble in the East Village spell doom for smaller shops? It's complicated.
Independent booksellers are grappling with whether the big-box chain is a threat or an ally in the fight against Amazon.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 16, 2026 at 12:55 p.m. ET
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
Arts & Entertainment
Can eligible NYC singles find love with 30 minutes and some really spicy food?
We went to the Spiciest Supper Club singles night to take the temperature of New York City's dating scene.
By
Elizabeth Shwe
and
James Ramsay
How the NYC Marathon has changed in the last 50 years
By
Hannah Frishberg
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
By
Sonia Rao
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .