Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
McNally Jackson Bookstore Coming To South Street Seaport
By
Lauren Evans
Published Oct 7, 2015
Modified Oct 8, 2015
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 .
Howard Hughes Corporation
By
Lauren Evans
Published Oct 7, 2015
Modified Oct 8, 2015
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
By the time I'm done typing the sentence, an estimated five independent bookstores in the New York metro area will have cashed in their chips and announced their defeat. By the time you're done reading it, the marvelous structures that once housed them will have already reopened as a chain of Lululemons for cats.
But there's an exception! SoHo-based independent bookstore McNally Jackson, a sublime destination for thumbing through rarefied art magazines while sipping a latte, is not only not closing, it's opening another location in South Street Seaport.
A press release sent today by the Howard Hughes Corporation announces that "the popular New York independent bookstore will set up shop in Schermerhorn Row along the cobblestoned streets of the historic district and bring a new, unrivaled literary experience to the Seaport with a refined and carefully curated selection of books, free interactive event programming, a café with outdoor seating and a family-friendly reading area for children to engage the growing residential community."
This is good news for McNally Jackson and bookstores in general, but don't forget that the same developer is pushing to build a 50-story tower on a pier at the foot of Beekman Street, to the great distress of many nearby residents and preservationists.
The pushback did prompt Chris Curry, Senior EVP Development with HHC, to release a statement asserting that his team is "exploring a significant reduction to the height of the proposed building on the New Market site," though no hard measurements have yet been released.
The company is also in the middle of a $425 million overhaul to Pier 17, including the construction of a four-story mall.
Tagged
howard hughes corporation
mcnally jackson
south street seaport
Lauren Evans
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
Ever wish you could get paid to walk through a stranger’s house? ‘The Scout’ is for you.
A new film focuses on the strange career of a location scout in New York City.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Sep 26, 2026
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
Arts & Entertainment
There are 100s of places to visit during Open House New York. Here's 5 of our favorites.
See the entire lineup for the weekend when the city opens its doors.
By
Hannah Frishberg
A massive MTA archive ended up in a Virginia warehouse. A Brooklyn man brought it home.
By
Hannah Frishberg
How a Harry Styles pop-up in the East Village led to a nearby bookstore owner's arrest
By
Sonia Rao
NYC’s creative workers are increasingly self-employed, report says
By
Hannah Frishberg
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 .