Amazon has expanded its New York footprint with the official opening of a “tech hub” at the former Lord & Taylor building on Fifth Ave. in Manhattan. The 600,000-square-foot building, which was designated an official New York City landmark in 2007, is now home to more than 2,000 Amazon employees. The company bought the building from WeWork in 2020, just before the pandemic began, reports Chain Store Age.
The thirteen-story building has new conference rooms, lounge areas, training rooms, and a team suite for collaborative working sessions, along with desk space for more individually-focused work. To adapt the building from a department store to a modern office, an eleven-story staircase was carved out into the middle of each floor, helping to promote connectivity across teams, writes Chain Store Age. It is topped by a glowing skylight called ‘the lantern,’ which brings light from the roof all the way through the building.
“It’s been 3 ½ years since we first acquired the Lord & Taylor building, and we feel honored to be a part of the journey restoring and reimagining the next phase of life for this historic piece of the city,” said John Schoettler, Amazon’s VP of global real estate and facilities. “Adaptive reuse and converting older buildings is always complex — doing so with a designated landmark is a special undertaking. We purposely invest in urban cores where Amazon employees can work, shop, eat, play, and support local businesses, rather than building a closed-off campus.”
With more than 35,000 sq. ft. of dedicated retail space planned for the first floor, Amazon’s new hub also creates opportunities for businesses and new restaurants in Midtown Manhattan, which was hit particularly hard during the pandemic, noted Amazon. Additionally, Amazon’s community commitment includes a partnership with City University of New York (CUNY) to provide class and event space for 25 associated colleges, reports CSA.
Amazon leaders were joined by local New York policymakers, including New York City Mayor Eric Adams, to celebrate the grand opening.
“Amazon you have been just amazing,” said Mayor Adams. “The way you have brought 18,000 jobs to our region. This new initiative here with 2,000 employees coming in three days a week…This ribbon cutting here today is more than just a symbolic gesture…it is cutting through the inertia that prevents us from being the city that we ought to be.”
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