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Monday, December 19, 2005, 01:00 pm
Apple plans new retail store opposite the Empire State Building
"Apple Computers has found itself a third Manhattan pod with a new lease opposite the Empire State Building at 21 W. 34th St.," reports the New York Post.The Mac and iPod maker reportedly net-leased the entire, 30,000-foot five-story building from Jeff Sutton of Wharton Realty and his partner, SL Green Realty Trust.
Apple's lease signing on West 34th street comes just months after the company ditched plans to open a two-story retail store in Manhattan's Flatiron district.
There, Apple was reportedly met with opposition from a local community board over its retail design proposal, which aimed to transform the historic 136 Fifth Avenue location into a glass enclosed two-story Apple retail store.
Next spring Apple will also unveil a 20,000-square-foot retail store in the underground concourse of the General Motors building near Midtown.
The Midtown Apple store will be topped by a giant $9 million 32-foot hollow glass cube that was personally designed by Apple chief executive Steve Jobs.
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Previous Comments View All
hey thats where king kong died. maybe in the next remake there will be an apple store right there where he lands. talk about advertising.
30,000 feet is a crap load of space...
What are they going to do with it all? Make five stories of retail space?
A location closer to Grand Central would have been better for people who work in Midtown, so Apple is probably targeting the tourists.
A store at Grand Central Station (42nd street) would be closer to the GM Building (59th street). Than across from the Empire State Building (34th street).
All three stores will be in major affluent shopping districts. The GM Building on 5th Avenue. The 34th street building is near Herald Square. The SoHo store is in the heart of the SoHo boutique shopping area.
A store at Grand Central Station (42nd street) would be closer to the GM Building (59th street). Than across from the Empire State Building (34th street)
Yeah, I realize that. I was just "thinking out loud" and guessing that Apple is targeting tourists more than the locals. If they were targeting the locals they would have put the store closer to (or somehow in) Grand Central or, better yet, on the Upper West Side.
I don't really think of the area around the Empire State, or especially Herald Square, as being high-end shopping. Not as compared to SoHo and 5th Ave. But lots of tourists go there.
Never have I seen such useless waste of resources as this installation of some cube Jobs designed who-knows-when.
I'm calling paranoid branding on this one. Think about jobs wants the cube at the end of its lease of the store... why well its simple they don't want any other tenant that may move in "access" to any part of the apple brand. Im mean its kinda a slick move make sure once you leave no other competitor can leverage off the apple brand.
does anyone else find it a bit dumb for steve to say he "designed" a glass cube? i mean, come on, it's a glass cube. it's glass, and it's a cube. what exactly did he "design" about it? what's next? he's going to start patenting polygonal shapes? "that RHOMBOID was MY IDEA!"
Jobs probably designed the cube in the same way he overseas Apple's other hardware. He's a very demanding "customer" who delves into more detail than any other "customer" you're likely to meet. I'm sure his hands on "design" was limited to the general concept. With a concourse location below ground the 6M cube is pure advertising linked to the customer's shopping experience. A lot of word of mouth will be generated around a unique experience. As an architect I say good for him; but "designed" isn't fully acurate as his name will not be on the construction documents, the architect's will.
Next up: Jobs designs square and Apple is to spend $9 million dollars making a giant square so little Jobsie is a happy panda. 
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That location is kinda' close to the GM Building location. But I guess it will be good for tourists; lots of people visiting the Empire State building.
A location closer to Grand Central would have been better for people who work in Midtown, so Apple is probably targeting the tourists.
Maybe one more Apple store on the Upper West Side and then Manhattan will be covered. But a fourth store shouldn't be too high of a priority; I'm sure the stores are needed more elsewhere.
I remember reading that Microsoft was considering renting the old Times Building: 1 Times Square. I haven't seen any construction there yet, and I walk by everyday. I wonder if that deal died.