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Plans for Grand Central Apple Store are once again in motion

 

Apple is reportedly still pursuing plans to build a new 15,000-square-foot retail store in New York's Grand Central Terminal.

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.