Fifth Avenue
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The pre-history of Manhattan's Fifth Avenue Apple Store cube
When it comes to Apple's retail stores, probably the most iconic is the one in the plaza of the GM Building on Fifth Avenue in New York City. The store's signature architectural feature -- a 32-foot glass cube emblazoned with a glowing Apple logo -- is immediately recognizable . NY Magazine's Vicky Ward provided the back story to the origins of the cube in an article published yesterday, and it's fascinating. The story began in 2003, when property developer Harry Macklowe bought the GM Building for US$1.4 billion in borrowed money. One issue with the building at the time was the huge and useless open plaza that spread from the front of the building to Fifth Avenue. Architects hated the plaza, and those in the business of building, buying, and leasing skyscrapers saw it as a waste of space. Macklowe was aware that Apple was stretching its wings in the retail business, so he began to bother George Blankenship, who was then Apple's vice-president of real estate. Macklowe's persistence paid off when he was invited to meet with Steve Jobs in November of 2003. Jobs and his team already had an idea of a 40-foot glass cube for the plaza, which would take advantage of an unused basement located below the plaza. But Macklowe realized at a glance at a model provided by Apple that the cube was too large, both in terms of violating zoning laws and its scale from the street level. Macklowe realized that he wouldn't be able to just talk to Jobs about the cube being too big; he'd have to show Apple and let the company come to the conclusion. He invited two Apple retail development execs, Ron Johnson and Rob Briger, to come see a scaffold mockup of the cube built on the plaza in the middle of the night since regulations forbade Macklowe to put up the mockup in the day. The executives met with Macklowe and his team at around 2 AM, and the Apple team immediately realized that the 40-foot cube was too large. Macklowe then pulled a "magic trick", having the model dismantled to reveal a 30-foot cube underneath -- which the Apple team loved. In the end, the store opened on May 19, 2006 as a 32-foot cube. There's more to the story of the Fifth Avenue Apple Store, which became not only symbolic of Apple's rising success in the consumer electronics market, but also marked Harry Macklowe's success in the development business. Be sure to check out the NY Magazine post for the rest of the amazing story.
Fifth Avenue Apple Store experiences a water leak
The Apple Store on New York's Fifth Avenue is a veritable marvel of engineering, with its glass cube leading down into an underground space. But putting the store underground like that makes it more vulnerable to water leaks, and sure enough, that's what's happened earlier today in New York. The Post reports that heavy rain in the city caused water to erupt through the ceiling of the store, sending employees running and sliding tables around to protect the merchandise. The issue doesn't sound so bad; the water was mopped up quickly, and the store never actually closed. But the Post also says that one worker on site claims there's an issue with the stone slabs in the store entryway, which sit above the underground retail space. Incoming customers walk across those every day, and past construction in the area may not have been up to snuff. If that's the case, it seems there might be more renovation in the Fifth Avenue store's future -- hopefully the employees there can avoid another indoor downpour.
Daily Update for Sept. 1, 2011
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Fifth Avenue Apple cube being revamped, here it is
Apple announced plans a little while ago to revamp the glass cube that sits on top of New York's iconic Fifth Avenue Apple Store, and Gothamist has the first pictures of the new design, as seen above. As you can tell, it's simpler and cleaner, representing a smooth and sleek entrance that's even more stylish than what's there now. The change mostly consists of consolidating most of the glass panes currently sitting on the store's entrance, dropping that number from 90 all the way down to 15. There aren't any known issues with the former design; it's possible that Apple's architects & engineers were originally worried about how the glass would perform in a stressful New York environment, but having the structure up over a number of years has probably taught them a lot about how it all goes together. As Steve Jobs told the Cupertino City Council, Apple has plenty of experience in making these giant pieces of glass for architectural purposes. The reconstruction is set to cost $6.6 million, which is of course pennies to the most valuable company in the world. The new Cube design is supposed to be done by November.
Apple to add seamless glass to 5th Ave Apple Store
New York City's 5th Avenue Apple Store has become a tourist destination in its own right. Apple recently launched a major renovation project on its iconic glass cube, and now the purpose has been revealed. Apple will rebuild the structure with seamless panes of glass. MacRumors has posted in image of the construction barriers surrounding the 5th Ave. store, which bear clues as to how the refurbished location will look. Specifically, a quote reads, "We're simplifying the Fifth Avenue cube. By using larger, seamless pieces of glass, we're using just 15 panes instead of 90." That's accompanied by a rough illustration of the iconic cube with its next iteration. To say that Apple uses glass in their retail design is like saying Boeing dabbles in aeronautics. The store in Shanghai, China boasts the largest curved glass panels in the world, while the massive curved staircase in Boston is similar to those seen in many Apple Stores. When complete, 5th Ave's glass box will be even more impressive than it has been, and offer tourist and New Yorkers alike a whole new reason to stop by, take a picture and just maybe, buy something.
Heatmap shows Fifth Avenue Apple Store is hot place for photos
The image above is a heatmap of photo locations on popular pic sharing site Flickr, put together by developer Eric Fischer. Each dot on the map indicates where a photo was taken in New York's Manhattan borough, with each circled area representing a hot spot of location photography. As ifoAppleStore points out, the locations marked 2, 3 and 4 on the map are pretty obvious photo spots, as they represent tourist standbys Rockefeller Center, Columbus Circle and Times Square, respectively. But the number one circle is interesting -- it's the location of Apple's Fifth Avenue Store in New York City, which is apparently competing for tourist eyeballs and photo snaps. We knew it was a popular location, but this heatmap shows just how popular. ifoAppleStore also has a heatmap of Chicago photos, and while they lament that the new Lincoln Park Apple Store isn't very well photographed, the much more iconic Michigan Avenue store does have its own red blots (though, of course, the proximity to the famous Chicago Water Tower probably mixes that one up a bit). It's clear, nevertheless, that these famous Apple retail buildings are gaining a big following among photographers and travelers.
Apple's rumored store plans for Grand Central not happening?
The New York dream of shopping for an iPad 2 on the commute to work appears to have come to an end, according to a report by The New York Observer. An anonymous source within New York's Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA) says Apple ended plans to open a 16,000 square foot high-profile store in the balconies of Manhattan's historic Grand Central Terminal last week. Rumors of an Apple retail store coming to New York City's Grand Central Terminal, often referred to as Grand Central Station, began in early February with a report by Laura Kusisto in The New York Observer. Grand Central Terminal appeared to be an ideal candidate for Apple's fifth Manhattan location. It's the largest terminal in the United States, with up to 700,000 visitors a day, and it already hosts 68 retail shops and 35 restaurants. At Park Avenue and East 42nd Street, the landmark terminal is less than one mile away from Apple's Fifth Avenue store, which draws the most traffic among Apple's four shops in Manhattan and sells more product than its three sister stores combined, according to ifoAppleStore. Presumably, the originally planned Grand Central location would have shared the incredibly heavy traffic of the crowded Fifth Avenue store. However, the complex and controversial process for applying for retail space in Grand Central may be responsible for undoing the deal, which never passed preliminary negotiations. Grand Central Terminal is classified as a historic landmark and tenants must sacrifice quite a bit of control to the MTA, including decisions about menu items, store design, architecture, lighting and store hours. Despite the excellent location and high foot traffic in Grand Central Terminal and Apple's proven ability to adapt its store designs to be more historically sensitive, it isn't in Apple's nature to give up so much control to another party. The New York MTA, Apple and Landmarks Preservation were not available to comment about the deal, but Executive Vice President and Principal of Newmark Knight Frank Retail, Jeffrey Roseman, appeared to confirm Apple's abandonment of the Grand Central project via Twitter on Thursday. "Lets see if Apple NOT coming to Grand Central, gets as much press as it got, when the rumor started," said Roseman. [via BetaBeat]
Apple Store may be coming to NYC's Grand Central Terminal
As if it wasn't busy enough already, Apple may be looking to build a retail store right in the middle of New York's Grand Central Terminal, according to reports. There hasn't been any public sign that the company wants to open a new store there yet (and there is a public process companies have to go through to submit proposals and gain approval), but "reliable sources" are apparently saying Apple wants to start the process. It might sound like a strange idea to put an Apple Store in a train station, especially one that's fairly close to several existing Apple Stores. But the Fifth Ave. store is reportedly overcrowded already (even though it's Apple's only 24-hour location), and obviously Grand Central Terminal is prime real estate for well-heeled shoppers, considering all of the commuters that come through from Westchester, Connecticut and other suburbs every day. I doubt the space will be cheap, but Apple's got some of the deepest pockets around. No word yet on how long it would take for an Apple Store to get approved and built, if indeed the rumors are true and Apple is trying to get in there at all. We'll stay tuned. If the store does come, it would join the five existing (plus one hypothetical) stores in the five boroughs of New York City, continuing the Big Apple's dominance as the densest urban concentration of Apple retail. [via MacRumors]
Found footage: the first guy in the iPad line at 5th Avenue Apple Store
It's not surprising at all that someone has already been sitting in front of the iconic 5th Avenue Apple Store in New York City. This video was posted this morning (April 1, 2010) and from the discussion with the person who is sitting there, he was in line yesterday. He kind of looks lonely, but if past practice is any indicator of the next few days, he'll make a lot of new friends as the line begins to grow in the hours leading up to 9 AM EDT on Saturday, April 3rd, 2010.
The saga of the Apple stair comes to a $9950 end
Ten days ago we reported that eBay seller heylookitskibbe was auctioning a stair from the staircase from the Fifth Avenue Apple retail store in New York. Shortly after our report, the stuff hit the fan. Heylookitskibbe turned out to be former Apple employee, Mark Burstiner. The stair, made by Seele GmbH exclusively for Apple, was being replaced by Seele employees when Burstiner asked if he could have it. They gave the 250 pound stair to him, which he kept for a year before auctioning it. When Seele GmbH saw the news that the stair was on eBay they claimed ownership of the stair and demand that the auction be taken down and the stair returned to them. Burstiner removed the auction but refused to return the stair, claiming that it had become his property. Yesterday we reported that, despite the legal threats, the auction was back on eBay. The auction has now come to an end with Burstiner raking in $9950 for little more than a chunk of glass thousands of people have walked on. The starting bid was $700 with a Buy It Now price of $2500.
Glass stair from Apple Fifth Ave spiral staircase on eBay
The seller says the stair is a "collectible" and could be used as a coffee table if you get some cinder blocks. He also states that "I know for a fact that only three of them exist outside of the retail stores' circulation, and this is one of them." According to the seller the stair originally cost $10,000 from a German manufacturer. That manufacturer would be Seele GmbH & Co. For a complete history of the Apple retail staircases, check out this ifoAppleStore article. Want it? Well, you're going to have to pick it up in Brooklyn, New York and the seller recommends you bring a car and a friend or two -- the step weighs 250 pounds (114 kg). Thanks to Mark for the tip!
5th Ave. iPhone Who Farm campers leave store lacking iPhones, dignity
Heavily featured in the news leading up to the iPhone 3G launch, the Who Farm campers -- who hunkered down a full week early at the Fifth Avenue Apple store in Manhattan to promote organic farming or something silly like that -- seem to have fallen off the face of the earth after the Cube's doors were opened. None of the five hippies were seen emerging from the store with iPhones, and their leader's little apple-dropping "accident" (video is after the break) might have something to do with it. He was later seen being taken into the store with a police escort, according to David Jr., but wasn't seen from again. We're not trying to imply that these five organic farming nuts are currently tied up in a dark store room miles below the Fifth Ave. store, awaiting Steve Jobs' wrath, but we would like to know what happened to them, and if they ever got iPhones, so if you have any idea please let us know.
London Apple Store opens big
Adding more than 9500 square feet to its original layout, London's Regent Square Apple Store reopened today as the largest Apple Store on Earth. By extending back into what had been storage areas, the store was able to expand itself and win the new world title. The New York City 5th Avenue Apple Store vowed revenge. Fifth-y, as the store is known to friends, has a history of controversy, as it apparently engaged in dressing up as a Muslim holy place while under construction. The London Apple Store ignored the threats from the New York Store and declared a one-day discount sale on its products. Highlights include £71 off any iMac, £11 off nanos, and £21 off iPod videos.
Apple Store redesign in the works
Apple is planning a redesign for their retail stores, modeled after the Fifth Avenue store in New York, to allow for displaying twice as many Macs and iPods, as well as 15% more 3rd party Mac software and iPod accessories. VP of retail, Ron Johnson, released a few of these details to Bloomberg, including stainless steel walls, Italian stone floors and a new dedicated iPod Bar.The first two stores to receive the upgraded design will be in Columbia, Maryland, and the Providence, Rhode Island store we reported back in January. There's no word on whether existing stores will receive the facelift, though we would wager remodels would happen (if at all) on a very discretionary basis.Thanks Marcus
Apple Store 5th Ave. treats 1 millionth visitor
Her new name is "Mrs. Right Place, Right Time." When shopper Elizabeth Rodriguez walked into New York's flagship Apple Store this past Saturday, she was showered with a MacBook, iPod, iPod Hi-Fi, and an Apple ProCare membership, all for being visitor # 1,000,000. The amazing thing is that the store reached a million visitors in only four months of operation (Fifth Avenue's average number of daily visitors is seven times that of other stores).Congratulations Apple and Elizabeth. Enjoy your great new stuff.[Via ifoAppleStore]
Take a (virtual) tour of the 5th Ave Apple Store
If you're like me (and heavens help you if you are), you long to visit the huge Apple Store on 5th Avenue in New York City, but that pesky "geography" keeps getting in the way. I know it's not the same, but Apple has offered a small consolation in these great Quicktime VR tours. You can check out six areas of the property, all via a very cool illustration of the store. Check it out.[Via ifoAppleStore]
She said yes!
Remember the dude that proposed via Apple's time lapse video outside the new Fifth Avenue Apple Store? Kottke.org received an email from his fiancé, Uschi Lang. That's right, she said yes! James, that's the name of the man in the photo, had been meaning to drop the big question for months before he had an idea when he was waiting with Uschi outside the Apple Store. He sneaked back whilst she was sleeping and stood in front of the camera for 15 minutes with his proposal signs to ensure that the time lapse would pick him up. A few days later James led Uschi down a row of candles leading up to his G5 and showed her the video and of course, she said yes. Congratulations you two!Now, about that row of candles leading up to his Mac. Is it normal to do that when you're not proposing? What?! I'm just asking...
Apple Store panoramic
This will probably be my last post about Apple's new Fifth Avenue store, but I'm not making any promises. The Cult of Mac points us to this very cool Quicktime panormic image of the store on opening night. It is very cool.
Celebs at the Apple Store opening
When you open a new store in New York that features a giant glass cube you expect people to show up, and show up they did for Apple's grand opening of their Fifth Avenue store. It was just Joe and Jane Macuser that showed up for the opening, though, many celebrity Mac heads made an appearance.Internet Zillionaire managed to snap some photos of Spike Lee, Kevin Bacon, Tina Fey, and others as he stood around the Apple store for a few hours.
Apple posts pics of Macbook winners
As part of the festivities surrounding the opening of the Fifth Avenue Apple Store in NYC (are you sick of hearing about it yet?), Apple gave away a bunch of MacBook. Here is a gallery of some of the winners. Don't they look so happy? Don't you feel so envious? So do we. Congratulations, folks.[Via Infinite Loop]
