Iconic Herald Square Macys sign just came down for the first time in 60 years laying historic building bare
Macy’s has said goodbye to their iconic billboard. The iconic red-and-white Macy’s shopping bag billboard at Herald Square was dismantled this weekend, exposing the historic “holdout” building that has been hidden for decades. For sixty years, the massive sign — complete with its signature white tissue paper peaking over the top—served as a festive staple of 34th Street and Broadway.Its removal is stirring both nostalgia among New Yorkers and curiosity about the future of this famous corner, after over a month of delay.
The five-story building now visible beneath the stripped-back facade tells a complex story of New York real estate rivalry.Known as a “holdout,” the structure exists because a competitive downtown retailer purchased the small plot over a century ago to block Macy’s from controlling the entire block. “He raced in and bought this little building to prevent them from having domination,” explained Dan Biederman to ABC 7, president of the 34th Street Partnership.
Forced to adapt, Macy’s famously built its flagship store around the building, which now reveals its century-old brick architecture with boarded-up windows and weathered exterior.The removal of the beloved sign reportedly stems from a modern real estate impasse.According to Biederman, the firm that owns the holdout building and the billboard owner failed to reach a new agreement.
“One firm owns the building and the other wants to keep an advertising sign up on it.They have to make an agreement, and evidently, that didn’t happen,” he noted.While the corner currently looks strangely bare, change is already in motion.
The Department of Buildings has issued permits for the installation of two new LED signs as part of a broader modernization project, though it remains unclear what will be advertised. In a statement, Macy’s hinted at future branding efforts, stating that the outdated sign is being removed to modernize the space.They added that they will soon “...