The Metropolitan Transportation Authority is looking for a single tenant for a "marquee space" at Grand Central Terminal, and according to The Wall Street Journal, Apple has expressed interest in putting a retail store in the space.
The MTA will put out bids for the space on Monday, and a spokesperson for the agency said they have spoken with Apple about the space. The MTA reportedly hopes that Apple will bid on the space.
The agency is said to be seeking a single renter for two adjacent balconies on the north and east sides of the terminal. One of the balconies is currently home to Charlie Palmer's Métrazur restaurant, but that business will close July 1 as Palmer is due to receive a "substantial sum of money" to vacate.
Because the terminal is a city landmark, any changes to the interior must be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The site offers 15,230 square feet of space, a size smaller than Apple's other retail outlets in the city.
"In addition to the tens of thousands of well-heeled commuters who pass through every day on their way to and from Connecticut's Gold Cost and Westchester County, Grand Central is a magnet for tourists who come to gawk at its Beaux-Arts architecture and constellation-dotted ceiling," author Andrew Grossman wrote.
The report said that retail experts believe a Grand Central store could prove even more popular than the iconic Fifth Avenue location, which has a large glass cube for its above-ground entrance, and is open 24 hours a day.
Word of a new Apple store in Grand Central Terminal, located at 42nd Street and Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan, first surfaced this February. At the time it was said Apple was expected to build the new store right in the terminal, rather than fronting 42nd Street like other stores. But in March, it was reported that Apple had scrapped plans for a store at Grand Central after negotiations with the MTA allegedly fell through.
9 Comments
Let's get real. Grand Central shouldn't be imposing any aesthetic restrictions on what Apple does with that space. What they should be doing is begging Apple to rework the whole terminal any damn way they please. The stores Apple has designed puts the dead-feeling Grand Central space to shame. (Yeah, yeah, it's a landmark - but let's face it, that space feels DEAD. Way, way overrated. Ceiling's beautiful, great windows, but it just does not work. The old Penn Station - THAT worked.)
Of course, that won't happen, because that would make sense. You can't expect the same kind of bureaucrats who deemed the old Penn Station expendable to do the right thing.
Some cheesy halfassed franchise should get that space. It's what they deserve.
No way is that restaurant space 15,000 square feet. And most of it is very narrow. If Apple wanted to use that as exhibition and demonstration space, it might work. But it doesn't work for retail. It's also open space (no walls facing the terminal) and they wouldn't be permitted to put up any because the building is interior landmarked.
Furthermore, while people have accepted restaurants in that space, other types of retail have not been permitted in the main room of the terminal. I think there would be major objections to doing so. So I don't see this happening. The only space that makes sense for Apple is the Market, but that's about the size of an Apple mall store - it's not that large and it seems to be successful.
It's puzzling to me why GCT is trying to get rid of Metrazur. An open restaurant makes more sense in that space than hardgoods.
As for the previous poster, I can't imagine what he's smoking. Maybe he goes to GCT at 1am in the morning, but I don't think any reasonable person would think of that terminal as "dead space". It was beautifully restored and is one of the most active places in the city. If it weren't, why would Apple want to be there?
Grand Central is a must stop whenever I have friends and family visiting New York City wishing to take in some of its landmark buildings and culturally important places. Although Grand Central is not really a tourist shopping destination the way the 5th Ave store is, the terminal is constantly filled with travelers, commuters and tourist. If Apple wins the bid I am sure they will respect this landmark for what it is and turn 2 underused areas of the great hall into something deserving of the place.
Let's get real. Grand Central shouldn't be imposing any aesthetic restrictions on what Apple does with that space. What they should be doing is begging Apple to rework the whole terminal any damn way they please. The stores Apple has designed puts the dead-feeling Grand Central space to shame. (Yeah, yeah, it's a landmark - but let's face it, that space feels DEAD. Way, way overrated. Ceiling's beautiful, great windows, but it just does not work. The old Penn Station - THAT worked.)
Of course, that won't happen, because that would make sense. You can't expect the same kind of bureaucrats who deemed the old Penn Station expendable to do the right thing.
Some cheesy halfassed franchise should get that space. It's what they deserve.
You must be kidding. Grand Central is a landmark for a reason. Yes they should accomodate Apple in every way possible for Apple to put up shop. But to say that Apple should redo the entire Terminal. No.
The only way that area at Grand Central would turn into dead space would be for Microsoft to lease it for one of their "stores."