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134-603: The B. Altman and Company Building is a commercial building in Midtown Manhattan in New York City , that formerly served as B. Altman and Company 's flagship department store . It occupies an entire city block between Fifth Avenue , Madison Avenue , 34th Street , and 35th Street , directly opposite the Empire State Building , with a primary address of 355–371 Fifth Avenue. The B. Altman and Company Building

268-1030: A brick yard at (Old) Bethpage and docks at Babylon . This became part of the Long Island Rail Road system in 1876, and the parts that have not been abandoned are the Hempstead Branch and Central Branch . The brickyard continued into existence until 1981, variously known as Bethpage Brickworks, Queens County Brick Manufacturing Company, and (after Nassau County split from Queens County in 1899) Nassau Brick Company. Before Stewart died in 1876, he had succeeded in creating his own manufacturing facilities. He wanted to have his own mills to supply his wholesale and retail operations. With these mills, located in New York and New England , Stewart produced his own woolen fabrics and employed thousands of workers. Stewart also served on several New York State Chamber of Commerce Committees between 1862 and 1871. Though never elected as

402-661: A 150-by-184-foot (46 by 56 m) site in the 1870s; by the mid-1890s, the store had expanded to cover the entire 200-foot (61 m) width of the block on Sixth Avenue. However, the Sixth Avenue location had become undesirable by the end of the 19th century, partially due to the shadows and noise created by the Sixth Avenue elevated line . In addition, Altman did not own any of the land under his Sixth Avenue store; instead, he leased it from two separate sets of owners. Altman initially contemplated moving his store to Herald Square , at

536-402: A New York State officer, he attended Lincoln 's funeral as a Chamber delegate. Before his death he was building at Hempstead Plains , Long Island, the village of Garden City , with the purpose of affording his employees comfortable and airy housing at a moderate cost. After his death, his wife Cornelia erected several buildings in his memory, including St. Paul's School and The Cathedral of

670-433: A college education or higher. The percentage of Midtown Manhattan students excelling in math rose from 61% in 2000 to 80% in 2011 and reading achievement increased from 66% to 68% during the same time period. Midtown Manhattan's rate of elementary school student absenteeism is lower than the rest of New York City. In Midtown Manhattan, 19% of elementary school students missed twenty or more days per school year , less than

804-550: A combined $ 515,000 for two houses at 3 and 5 East 34th Street. This gave him control of nearly the entire block, except the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street, and the Madison Avenue frontage. In April 1905, Altman received a $ 4.5 million mortgage loan from the Mutual Life Insurance Company of New York , which covered several properties on the flagship's site. That May, The New York Times reported that

938-487: A fine. The plans entailed removing 25,000 square feet (2,300 m) of retail space on each of seven floors, but these removals did not occur. On March 12, 1985, the LPC designated the B. Altman and Company Building's exterior as a New York City landmark. The syndicate that owned the building, KMO-361 Realty Associates, was named for the initials of its principals , Earle W. Kazis, Peter L. Malkin , and Morton L. Olshan, as well as

1072-858: A five-floor condominium the following January. The City University of New York (CUNY) also announced plans to move its Graduate Center to the Altman Building from the Aeolian Hall on West 42nd Street, and sell the Aeolian Hall to the State University of New York College of Optometry , which was finalized in 1995. Starting in 1996, the exterior was restored by Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer and the interior reconfigured by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates . The OUP offices were designed by Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum. The renovations, which cost over $ 170 million, involved restoring many old design elements such as

1206-454: A four-story building at the southwest corner of Fifth Avenue and 35th Street. Altman initially did not reveal the purpose of these purchases, as he did not want neighbors to learn of his intentions and, thus, potentially thwart the project. He did not make another purchase until 1901, when he was listed as the buyer of a five-story building at 365 Fifth Avenue. All of these properties were acquired from separate owners, none of whom knew that Altman

1340-472: A large arcade with a colonnade at its two-story base. Altman's was the first big department store to make the move from the Ladies' Mile shopping district to Fifth Avenue, which at the time was still primarily residential. The building was opened in stages between 1906 and 1914, due to the difficulty in acquiring real estate. The store closed in 1989 and was vacant until 1996, when it was renovated. The building

1474-507: A low population of residents who are uninsured . In 2018, this population of uninsured residents was estimated to be 11%, slightly less than the citywide rate of 12%. The concentration of fine particulate matter , the deadliest type of air pollutant , in Midtown Manhattan is 0.0113 milligrams per cubic metre (1.13 × 10  oz/cu ft), more than the city average. Eleven percent of Midtown Manhattan residents are smokers , which

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1608-419: A lower crime rate than in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 81.2% between 1990 and 2022. The precinct reported 8 murders, 23 rapes, 653 robberies, 502 felony assaults, 660 burglaries, 2,375 grand larcenies, and 68 grand larcenies auto in 2022. The main part of midtown Manhattan, between 34th and 59th Streets from Lexington Avenue to Eighth Avenue, is served by five fire stations of

1742-587: A major force in Midtown Manhattan's economy, and indeed the city's, as the total value of all New York City property was estimated at US$ 914.8 billion for the 2015 fiscal year . Manhattan has perennially been home to some of the nation's, as well as one of the world's, most marketable real estate, including the Time Warner Center , which had the highest-listed market value in the city in 2006 at US$ 1.1 billion, to be subsequently surpassed in October 2014 by

1876-437: A major portion of a city block near Grace Church , from Broadway and Ninth Street to Tenth Street and Astor Place . The establishment's nineteen departments included silks, dress goods, carpets , and toys. By 1877 it had expanded to thirty departments, carrying a wide variety of items. As noted by The New York Times , "a man may fit up his house there down to the bedding, carpets and upholstery." The Iron Palace building

2010-503: A minister in the Church of Ireland . At age seven Stewart was sent to a village school, and in 1814 entered Mr. Neely's English Academy. When Stewart's grandfather died in 1816 he was brought into the home of Thomas Lamb, an Irish Quaker . Upon completing his formal education at Belfast Academical Institution he wrote to his mother in New York City. While incubating a desire to move there,

2144-410: A new store covering an entire city block between Broadway and Fourth Avenue and between 9th and 10th streets. It was eight stories tall and attracted the wonder and business of upscale New York. Trainloads of wealthy customers from outlying cities came to shop. Stewart made most of his money through wholesaling and especially New York City real estate. He opened branches of the company in other parts of

2278-567: A number of private languages and music centers (e.g. Berlitz , American Language Communication Center, New York Language Center, Swan Music School, and the New York Youth Symphony ). The La Scuola d'Italia Guglielmo Marconi Italian international school moved to West Midtown in 2016. The New York Public Library (NYPL) operates the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (also the Main Branch),

2412-959: A program aimed at creating "a 24/7, live-work, mixed-use neighborhood" in Midtown South though the conversion of commercial and office space to residential, as part of an effort to create 20,000 new residences citywide in a decade. According to The Broadway League , shows on Broadway sold approximately US$ 1.54 billion worth of tickets in both the 2022–2023 and 2023–2024 seasons. Both seasons featured theater attendance of approximately 12.3 million each. Companies that used to have their headquarters in Midtown Manhattan include American Airlines , American Comics Group , American Overseas Airlines , Central Park Media , Eastern Air Lines , GoodTimes Entertainment , LJN , NewKidCo , Pan American World Airways , Philip Morris Companies (now Altria Group ), Trans Caribbean Airways , and Trans World Airlines . In 1997, Aer Lingus announced that it

2546-657: A reference branch at 476 Fifth Avenue. The four-story building, constructed in 1911, is known worldwide for its architecture and has several million items in its collections. There are also five circulating branches in Midtown: Two campuses of the City University of New York (CUNY)—the doctorate-granting CUNY Graduate Center and the Stella and Charles Guttman Community College —are located in Midtown, while Baruch College , also of

2680-417: A short time teaching before returning to Ireland to receive the money his grandfather had left him, purchase some Belfast linens and laces, and return to New York to open a store. Stewart had extraordinary skill in business, and by 1846 he had built a large marble-fronted store on Broadway between Chambers Street and Reade Street, which was devoted to the wholesale branch of his business. In 1862 he built

2814-522: A skylight from which the Empire State Building is visible. On the Madison Avenue side of the building, the NYPL occupied an eight-floor condominium spanning 213,000 square feet (19,800 m) from the 1990s. The NYPL condominium was split up into four units in 2012. Prior to 2020, the NYPL's Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) occupied five floors in the building, with a research library in

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2948-444: A smaller back section which served as Stewart's residence. Unlike other dry goods competitors located along Pearl Street , Stewart placed his store several blocks west on Broadway. He believed customers would travel to buy goods where they could most easily find the best prices, stating that the key to success was not where the store was placed, but rather where "to obtain wholesale trade to undersell competitors". When first opening

3082-451: A swarm of lawyers during a quarter-century of litigation over the estate. The bulk of the Stewart fortune, willed to Mrs. Stewart with Judge Henry Hilton as trustee, was the subject of protracted litigation, although a swarm of long-lost Turney relatives were quickly dismissed. Claims were based in part on Mrs. Stewart's hasty transfer of the dry goods business in 1876 to Hilton, in exchange for

3216-607: A total of $ 1.2 million and included several townhouses. Trowbridge & Livingston filed plans for the annex in June 1913, which would expand the building's floor area to 900,000 square feet (84,000 m). The third section was developed during the final years of Benjamin Altman's life, during which he stopped himself from social events. Though he was an avid art collector, he refused to display his art because he thought it would accidentally advertise his store. When Altman died in October 1913,

3350-409: A tutor. The store opened on September 1, 1823, just across from City Hall Park , north of Chambers Street on the opposite side of Broadway from where his later Marble Palace was to stand. Rented for $ 375 a year, it measured 12.5 feet wide by 30 feet deep, rather small by today's standards but average during the 19th century. A larger front section used for the business was divided by a thin wall from

3484-467: Is 41% in Midtown Manhattan, compared to the boroughwide and citywide rates of 45% and 51% respectively. Based on this calculation, as of 2018 , Midtown Manhattan is considered to be high-income relative to the rest of the city and not gentrifying . Midtown Manhattan is patrolled by two precincts of the NYPD . Midtown North is patrolled by the 18th Precinct, located at 306 West 54th Street, while Midtown South

3618-643: Is also growing in Midtown Manhattan based upon the city's strength in academic scientific research and public and commercial financial support. By mid-2014, Accelerator, a biotech investment firm, had raised more than US$ 30 million from investors , including Eli Lilly and Company , Pfizer , and Johnson & Johnson , for initial funding to create biotechnology startups at the Alexandria Center for Life Science, which encompasses more than 700,000 square feet (65,000 m ) on East 29th Street and promotes collaboration among scientists and entrepreneurs at

3752-400: Is an entrance portico in the sixth, seventh, and eighth bays from west, with fluted columns similar to those on Fifth Avenue, though only the seventh bay has a glass canopy and stone steps. Additionally, on the first story, only the westernmost four bays and the easternmost two bays have display windows, while the other windows are wide rectangular sash windows behind a grille. A service entrance

3886-690: Is commonly defined to be 59th Street ; its southern boundary is less clear, and variously taken to be 34th Street , 23rd Street , or even 14th Street . Midtown spans the entire island of Manhattan along an east–west axis, bounded by the East River on its east and the Hudson River to its west. The Encyclopedia of New York City defines Midtown as extending from 34th Street to 59th Street and from 3rd Avenue to 8th Avenue. In addition to its central business district , Midtown Manhattan encompasses many neighborhoods, including Hell's Kitchen and Chelsea on

4020-546: Is considered to be the busiest transportation hub in the Western Hemisphere , servicing around 650,000 people per day. The Port Authority Bus Terminal , located at Eighth Avenue and 41st Street at the western edge of Midtown, is the city's main intercity bus terminal and the world's busiest bus station, serving 250,000 passengers on 7,000 buses each workday. The building opened in 1950 and had been designed to accommodate 60,000 daily passengers. A 2021 plan announced by

4154-701: Is higher than the city's average of 87%. In 2018, 86% of residents described their health as "good", "very good", or "excellent", more than the city's average of 78%. For every supermarket in Midtown Manhattan, there are 11 bodegas . The nearest major hospitals are Mount Sinai West in Hell's Kitchen ; Beth Israel Medical Center in Stuyvesant Town ; the Bellevue Hospital Center and NYU Langone Medical Center in Kips Bay ; and NewYork–Presbyterian Hospital in

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4288-496: Is higher than the median life expectancy of 81.2 for all New York City neighborhoods. Most inhabitants are adults: a plurality (45%) are between the ages of 25 and 44, while 22% are between 45 and 64, and 13% are 65 or older. The ratio of youth and college-aged residents was lower, at 7% and 12% respectively. As of 2017, the median household income in Community Districts 4 and 5 (including Chelsea and Hell's Kitchen )

4422-592: Is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Building , the Chrysler Building , the Hudson Yards Redevelopment Project , the headquarters of the United Nations , Grand Central Terminal , and Rockefeller Center , as well as several prominent tourist destinations, including Broadway , Times Square , and Koreatown . Penn Station in Midtown Manhattan is

4556-447: Is in the eleventh and twelfth bays from west. The second floor openings are semicircular. The Madison Avenue side contains a colonnade in the center seven bays, supported by engaged plain columns. The outermost bay on either side projects slightly, with rectangular pilasters. The central bay led to the former library entrance. The 35th Street side is similar to, but less elaborate than, the 34th Street side. The westernmost three bays and

4690-470: Is less than that of the city as a whole. The incarceration rate of 297 per 100,000 people is lower than that of the city as a whole. The 18th Precinct has a lower crime rate than it did in the 1990s, with crimes across all categories having decreased by 82.1% between 1990 and 2022. The precinct reported 1 murder, 22 rapes, 154 robberies, 185 felony assaults, 205 burglaries, 2,065 grand larcenies, and 116 grand larcenies auto in 2022. The 14th Precinct also has

4824-407: Is less than the city average of 14% of residents being smokers. In Midtown Manhattan, 10% of residents are obese , 5% are diabetic , and 18% have high blood pressure —compared to the citywide averages of 24%, 11%, and 28% respectively. In addition, 9% of children are obese, compared to the citywide average of 20%. Ninety-one percent of residents eat some fruits and vegetables every day, which

4958-496: Is located at 421 8th Avenue. The post office stopped 24-hour service in 2009 due to decreasing mail traffic. Midtown Manhattan generally has a higher rate of college-educated residents than the rest of the city as of 2018 . A majority of residents age 25 and older (78%) have a college education or higher, while 6% have less than a high school education and 17% are high school graduates or have some college education. By contrast, 64% of Manhattan residents and 43% of city residents have

5092-918: Is located in Midtown Manhattan. Haier operates its United States offices in the Haier Building at 1356 Broadway, formerly the headquarters of the Greenwich Savings Bank . Haier held the opening ceremony on March 4, 2002. Sumitomo Corporation operates its New York Office, the headquarters of the corporation's United States operations, at 600 Third Avenue, 10016 in the Murray Hill neighborhood. El Al 's North American headquarters are in Midtown. The Air France USA regional headquarters are in 125 West 55th Street in Midtown Manhattan. Hachette Book Group USA has its headquarters in 237 Park Avenue . In 1994 Alitalia considered moving its USA headquarters from Midtown to Lower Manhattan , but decided to keep

5226-1273: Is one of the world's leading financial centers. Midtown Manhattan is the one of the world's largest central business district , with 400 million square feet (37.2 million m ) of office space in 2018. Midtown contains the headquarters of major companies, including 4Kids Entertainment (formerly), Barnes & Noble , Bloomberg L.P. , Ernst & Young , Calvin Klein , Cantor Fitzgerald , CBS Corporation , Citigroup , Colgate-Palmolive , Cushman & Wakefield , DC Comics , Deloitte , Duane Reade , Estée Lauder Companies , Foot Locker , Frederator Studios , JPMorgan Chase , Hess Corporation , Kroll Inc. , L-3 Communications , Marsh & McLennan Companies , Marvel Entertainment , MetLife , MidOcean Partners , Morgan Stanley , Nasdaq, Inc. , NBCUniversal , The New York Times Company , NexCen Brands , Paramount Global , Pfizer , Polo Ralph Lauren , Saks Incorporated ( Saks Fifth Avenue ), The Sharper Image , Simon & Schuster , Six Flags , TBWA Worldwide , Thomson Reuters , Warner Bros. Discovery , Time Warner Cable , The Travelers Companies , and Univision Communications . The New York Institute of Finance

5360-482: Is part of 10001. Other areas between 14th and 34th Streets are covered by ZIP Codes 10003, 10009, 10010, and 10011, though these are generally not considered to be part of Midtown proper. There are also thirty-three ZIP Codes assigned to individual buildings or building complexes. The United States Postal Service operates six post offices in Midtown: The James A. Farley Station , the city's main post office,

5494-430: Is patrolled by the 14th Precinct, located at 357 West 35th Street. The precincts ranked 69th safest out of 69 patrol areas for per-capita crime in 2010. The high per-capita crime rate can be attributed to the low population of the area, as well as the high number of crimes committed against tourists. As of 2018 , with a non-fatal assault rate of 25 per 100,000 people, Midtown Manhattan's rate of violent crimes per capita

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5628-423: Is separated by small cast iron Ionic columns, with architraves above the tenth-story windows and a pair of small arches above the eleventh-story windows. The top two stories contain double-hung windows similar to the ninth story. A band course supported by corbels runs above the twelfth story, and a small cornice runs above the thirteenth story. On Madison Avenue, the outermost bays are faced with limestone up to

5762-581: The Ladies' Mile , along Fifth Avenue from 14th to 23rd Street; and the Tenderloin , from 23rd to 42nd Street and from Fifth Avenue to Seventh Avenue . Important streets and thoroughfares The border of Midtown Manhattan is nebulous and further confused by the fact that the term "Midtown Manhattan" can be used to refer either to a district or a group of neighborhoods and districts in Manhattan: Midtown Manhattan, along with Lower Manhattan ,

5896-563: The New York City Fire Department (FDNY): The greater Midtown area between 14th Street and 59th Street contains seven additional fire stations. As of 2018 , preterm births and births to teenage mothers in Midtown Manhattan are lower than the city average. In Midtown Manhattan, there were 67 preterm births per 1,000 live births (compared to 87 per 1,000 citywide), and 4 births to teenage mothers per 1,000 live births (compared to 19.3 per 1,000 citywide). Midtown Manhattan has

6030-545: The New York Public Library (NYPL), which would open the Science, Industry and Business Library (SIBL) there. The NYPL issued bonds to pay for the space. The New York Resource Center plans were ultimately postponed indefinitely because of a lack of interest in the project. Richard P. Steinberg, one of Olshan's partners, stated in 1994 that three "significant" museums and two educational institutions had expressed interest in

6164-546: The New York Times announcing Joseph Pulitzer , Julius Chambers , et al. had been indicted for posthumous criminal libel against Alexander T. Stewart. The newspaper reprinted a letter to District Attorney Fellows citing statements in an April 14–19 series of articles in the New York World accusing Stewart of "a dark and secret crime", as the man who "invited guests to meet his mistresses at his table", and as "a pirate of

6298-553: The Upper East Side . Midtown Manhattan is located within six primary ZIP Codes . West of Fifth Avenue, Midtown is located in 10018 between 34th and 41st Streets, 10036 between 41st and 48th Streets, and 10019 between 48th and 59th Streets. East of Fifth Avenue, Midtown is located in 10016 between 34th and 40th Streets, 10017 between 40th and 49th Streets, and 10022 between 49th and 59th Streets. The area southwest of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street, sometimes considered to be in Midtown,

6432-687: The Waldorf Astoria New York , which became the most expensive hotel ever sold after being purchased by the Anbang Insurance Group, based in China, for US$ 1.95 billion . In the same year, six of the top ten most expensive zip codes in the United States by median housing price were located in Manhattan, underscoring the borough's dominant position in the real estate market. When 450 Park Avenue

6566-683: The $ 1,000,000 willed to Hilton, who carried on the business under the name E. J. Denning & Co. Mrs. Stewart, who lived quietly in New York and at the Grand Union Hotel in Saratoga Springs, New York , which she inherited, died of pneumonia October 25, 1886, and ex-Judge Hilton died there 24 August 1899. In 1896, the Iron Palace was bought by John Wanamaker and reopened as " Wanamaker's ". The Philadelphian Wanamaker had long been an admirer of Stewart and stated that one of his best qualities

6700-485: The 1850s, he also followed other retailers such as Macy's , Lord and Taylor and B. Altman and Company to the area which was to be called " Ladies' Mile ", on Broadway and Sixth Avenue between 9th Street and 23rd Street . However, in 1862, Stewart's largest department store, referred to as the "Iron Palace", was built. This six-story building, with its cast-iron front, glass dome skylight and grand emporium, employed up to 2,000 people. The immense structure occupied

6834-466: The B. Altman Building's landmark status prevented the store from being torn down, KMO's plans to add six stories had stalled with the announcement of the store's closure. In late 1991, KMO proposed that 650,000 square feet (60,000 m) of the building be converted to the New York Resource Center, a furniture and appliances showroom. Another 200,000 square feet (19,000 m) would be used by

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6968-601: The City University of New York, is located in Midtown South. Mercy College is situated at Herald Square . Pennsylvania Station and Grand Central Terminal are the two major railroad stations located in Midtown Manhattan. Penn Station serves Amtrak , NJ Transit , and the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR), while Grand Central serves the Metro-North Railroad and also serves the LIRR at Grand Central Madison . Penn Station

7102-509: The Fifth Avenue side is eight stories tall, while the Madison Avenue side is 13 stories. The 34th and 35th Street sides are both seventeen bays wide and are mostly eight stories tall, although the easternmost four bays rise to the thirteenth story. The facade is mostly unchanged from the building's completion, although some spalling in the facade was patched with cast stone, and some design elements were removed or simplified. On Fifth Avenue ,

7236-422: The Fifth Avenue side, in what was referred to as the "Fifth Avenue Walk". Rumors of a new structure on the site started circulating in 1970, to which Altman's distributed letters announcing their intention to stay in the same location. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) started considering the building for landmark status in 1982. The LPC held hearings to discuss possible landmark status for

7370-614: The Graduate Center occupies parts of the building's first floor, concourse, and second floor. The Graduate Center section of the building contains three performance spaces: the 389-seat Harold M. Proshansky Auditorium on the concourse, the 180-seat Baisley Powell Elebash Recital Hall on the first floor, and the 70-seat Martin E. Segal Theatre on the first floor. The ground floor also houses the Amie and Tony James Gallery. An eighth-floor dining room contains ceilings of 40 feet (12 m) as well as

7504-513: The Incarnation, Garden City ; the latter also served as a mausoleum to both Stewart and his wife. Stewart died as one of the richest men in New York, just behind a Vanderbilt and an Astor . Worth an estimated $ 50 million, Stewart, unlike New York's other wealthy men who made their millions through real estate, had earned his wealth in retail trade. Out of the twenty-four clerks who entered A. T. Stewart & Company in 1836, six still worked for

7638-611: The Port Authority would spend $ 10 billion to expand capacity and modernize the facility. The New York City Subway and MTA Regional Bus Operations each operate several routes that go through Midtown. Additionally, the PATH train to New Jersey terminates at 33rd Street and Sixth Avenue in Midtown. Traffic congestion is common, especially for crosstown traffic. In 2011, a new system of traffic light control, known as "Midtown in Motion"

7772-572: The United Nations, and consulates-general accredited to the United States, in Midtown Manhattan. In addition, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office of the Republic of China ( Taiwan ) is in Midtown Manhattan. Alexander Turney Stewart Stewart was born in Lisburn , Ulster , Ireland, and abandoned his original aspirations of becoming a Presbyterian minister to go to New York City in 1823. He spent

7906-433: The United States achieved completion in Midtown Manhattan, at a selling price of US$ 238 million, for a 24,000 square feet (2,200 m ) penthouse apartment overlooking Central Park at 220 Central Park South . The COVID-19 pandemic and hybrid work models have prompted consideration of commercial-to-residential conversion within the neighborhood's real estate sector. In August 2023, Mayor Eric Adams announced

8040-424: The United States by allowing women all over the country to purchase and order items from his wholesale department store. Beginning in 1868, Stewart began receiving letters from women in rural parts of the United States requesting his merchandise. Stewart promptly replied to these letters and orders by sending out the requested products and even paying the postage. Once their orders were received, women would send back

8174-643: The West Side, and Murray Hill , Kips Bay , Turtle Bay , and Gramercy Park on the East Side. It is sometimes broken into "Midtown East" and "Midtown West", or north and south as in the New York City Police Department 's Midtown North and Midtown South precincts. Neighborhoods in the Midtown area include the following: Midtown is the original district in the United States to bear the name and included historical but now defunct neighborhoods such as

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8308-456: The basement, a lobby and circulating library at ground level, and offices on three upper levels. The branch contained various business and training centers, as well as conference rooms and stacks . OUP occupies a five-floor condominium spanning 110,000 square feet (10,000 m). B. Altman and Company originated from a store in the Lower East Side operated by the Altman family. The store

8442-496: The brightly illuminated hub of the Broadway Theater District , is a major center of the world's entertainment industry. Sixth Avenue also has the headquarters of three of the four major U.S. television networks . Midtown is part of Manhattan Community District 5 . It is patrolled by the 14th and 18th precincts of the New York City Police Department . Geographically, the northern boundary of Midtown Manhattan

8576-466: The building's Fifth Avenue address. The chain was acquired by L.J. Hooker in 1987, but KMO-361 continued to own the real estate. In November 1987, KMO-361 announced plans to add six floors at the Madison Avenue end of the building. The store would occupy 405,000 square feet (37,600 m) on the lowest five floors and there would be 550,000 square feet (51,000 m) of office space on the upper floors. Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer Associates would also remodel

8710-520: The building's construction. Plans for the new Altman's flagship building were officially announced in December 1904, after Altman had bought many of the properties on the block. The Real Estate Record at the time characterized Altman's plans as having been "an open secret for some years". The announcement resulted in an increase in real estate transactions on the surrounding blocks of Fifth Avenue. Trowbridge and Livingston were formally selected as architects

8844-463: The building's hoisting engines. In January 1906, a worker was killed and six others were injured when a girder fell from the eighth floor. In anticipation of the new store's opening, Altman sold the old Sixth Avenue store in April 1906. The first section of the Fifth Avenue building was opened on October 15, 1906, with entrances on 34th Street, 35th Street, and Fifth Avenue; the previous store on Sixth Avenue

8978-505: The building's roof was used for training by the United States Olympic team , as depicted in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire . The building was also used for exterior filming in the 2017 Amazon Studios television series The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel . Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan , serving as the city's primary central business district . Midtown

9112-530: The building, but Altman's had opposed the designation at the time. In November 1984, the store's owner Altman Foundation indicated its intention to downsize the Altman's location and sell off the upper floors at the Madison Avenue end to an investment syndicate, which would convert the space to residences and offices. The downsizing was required because of New York state legislation that forced the Altman Foundation to divest of some of its business holdings or pay

9246-453: The building, though there was no definite commitment. Several other companies expressed interest in the building's space, including Sotheby's and J. C. Penney . Nearby, Oxford University Press was looking to move from their space at 200 Madison Avenue . The NYPL bought an eight-floor condominium on the Madison Avenue side of the B. Altman Building in February 1993, and OUP contracted to buy

9380-415: The buildings on Madison Avenue were being torn down. He bequeathed all of his property (including the Fifth Avenue store) to his company, of which all capital stock was to be held by the Altman Foundation, essentially transferring the building to the foundation. The final section on Madison Avenue opened on October 5, 1914. During Benjamin Altman's life, there had never been any exterior signage advertising

9514-406: The busiest transportation hub in the Western Hemisphere . Midtown Manhattan is the largest central business district in the world, and has been ranked as the densest central business district in the world in terms of employees, at 606,108 per square mile (234,020/km ). Midtown also ranks among the world's most expensive locations for real estate; Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan has commanded

9648-401: The center and with nearby academic, medical, and research institutions. The New York City Economic Development Corporation 's Early Stage Life Sciences Funding Initiative and venture capital partners, including Celgene , General Electric Ventures, and Eli Lilly, committed a minimum of US$ 100 million to help launch 15 to 20 ventures in life sciences and biotechnology. Real estate is

9782-438: The city's largest. The ventilation system was able to handle intake and exhaust volumes of 20,000 cubic feet (570 m) per minute. To accommodate packages and message deliveries, the building used an extensive system of brass tubing and canvas belting. At ground level, the building had a large entrance rotunda on Fifth Avenue as well as open-plan selling floors. The rotunda had a glass dome with indirect lighting. The glass dome

9916-411: The citywide average of 20%. Additionally, 92% of high school students in Midtown Manhattan graduate on time, more than the citywide average of 75%. There are no public elementary or middle schools in Midtown. The New York City Department of Education operates the following public high schools in Midtown, serving grades 9–12: Private schools include The Beekman School , Rebecca School , and

10050-447: The company in 1876. To these long-term employees, Stewart showed his gratitude by leaving them more than $ 250,000 (equivalent to $ 7,000,000 in 2023 ) in his will. The body of Stewart was stolen from its tomb, between nine o'clock on the evening of November 6, and daylight on the morning of November 7, 1878, 2 years, 6 months, 24 days after his burial at St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery . The remains were held for $ 20,000 ransom. The ransom

10184-423: The cornice on 34th and 35th Streets were removed. Alteration plans for the building were filed in 1938, with an estimated cost of $ 250,000. The renovations, in preparation for the 1939 New York World's Fair , involved the removal of the rotunda for additional selling space, as well as new departments designed by H. T. Williams . In 1940, Altman's reopened its refurbished third floor, and six departments were added to

10318-710: The daughter of Susannah Banker and James Clinch, a wealthy ship chandler . Cornelia's brother Charles P. Clinch (1797–1880) was Acting Collector of the Port of New York . Historians know little about Stewart's life between 1818 and 1822, except that he returned to Ireland upon receiving his grandfather's inheritance of value between US$ 5,000 and $ 10,000. The will pertaining to Stewart stated: Upon returning to New York City in 1823, Stewart married Cornelia on October 16. Before marrying, Stewart opened his first store, located at 283 Broadway, which sold Irish fabrics and domestic calicos purchased with funds from his inheritance and earnings as

10452-493: The easternmost bay contain display windows, while most of the remaining bays contain rectangular sash windows behind a grille. The fourth bay from west contains a metal entrance structure that projects slightly and has a frieze running on top. There is a delivery entrance nearer the Madison Avenue end. The layout of the third through eighth stories is identical on Fifth Avenue, 34th Street, and 35th Street. The third story has one square-headed opening in each bay and keystones above

10586-418: The eighth story on Fifth Avenue and on most of the 34th and 35th Street facades. The four eastern bays on 34th and 35th Streets are thirteen stories tall, though the upper five stories are made of brick instead of limestone. The ninth story has two double-hung windows in each bay and is topped by a band course. The windows on the tenth and eleventh stories are recessed within a large opening; each set of windows

10720-432: The eighth story, while the inner bays and the ninth through thirteenth stories are faced with brick. The outer bays are similar in design to the easternmost bays on 34th Street. The inner bays contain double-hung window pairs on the third floor and triple-height window openings on the fourth through sixth stories. Each of the triple height openings contains a pair of Ionic columns, supporting an architrave and small pediment on

10854-399: The facade details to their original design, add an entrance pavilion along Madison Avenue, and add a roof pavilion above the main eight-story store. The LPC approved the expansion plans in 1988. Neighbors raised concerns that the Madison Avenue office addition would cast excessive shadows. The second floor of the store, which contained the fashion department, was remodeled in 1988. The project

10988-615: The fifteen-year-old Stewart was prevailed upon by Lamb to gain some business experience by earning money as a grocer in Belfast. Quickly wearying of the work, Stewart packed his bags in the spring of 1818 and left for New York with the $ 500 he had earned as a bag boy. After six weeks at sea, Stewart arrived at his mother's home. He became a $ 300-a-year tutor at Isaac N. Bragg's Academy, a school for wealthy youths on Roosevelt Street , and joined an Episcopal church run by Reverend Edward Mitchell. There he met his future wife, Cornelia Mitchell Clinch,

11122-528: The first commercial building in the United States to display an extravagant exterior. Inside, Stewart wanted not only to display his merchandise, but to emphasize natural light from the structure's central rotunda and high ceilings. "The Marble Palace" was the first "big store" that sold merchandise and was a huge financial success. In 1855 Stewart's personal fortune was estimated to be $ 2.25 million. In 1856 Stewart expanded his merchandise to include furs, "the best and most natural skins", as customers were told. In

11256-469: The first floor are large display windows while those on the second floor are semicircular Diocletian windows . In the entrance portico, small stone steps lead to the doors in each bay, which are located underneath glass turtle-shell canopies. This entrance portico leads to the CUNY Graduate Center. On 34th Street, the first two stories mostly contain rectangular pilasters instead of columns. There

11390-573: The fourth floor; an architrave on the fifth floor; and brackets on the sixth floor. The seventh and eighth floors of the inner bays are designed as an arcade, similarly to on the other elevations, except that it has cast-iron columns and architrave. The ninth through thirteenth floors are the same as on the other elevations. There were 39 elevators in the building when completed: 22 passenger elevators, 10 employee elevators, as well as two massive truck elevators and five smaller private elevators. The building also contained an electric power plant, described as

11524-660: The full length of the house's Fifth Avenue frontage. On the death of Stewart's widow in 1886, it was rented as premises for the Manhattan Club and was portrayed in paint in 1891 by Childe Hassam . The structure was razed in 1901 to make way for the new premises of the Knickerbocker Trust Company . Stewart incorporated the Central Railroad of Long Island in 1871 and completed it in 1873, running from Long Island City through his development at Garden City to

11658-403: The key to establishing a great business was to make friends with the customers and encourage their return, i.e., to focus on customer service. Between 1845 and 1846, the construction and finishing details of one of Stewart's most famous buildings, the "Marble Palace" at 280 Broadway , were completed. This establishment, "the cradle of the department store ", sent A. T. Stewart & Company to

11792-402: The lobby porticoes, bronze elevator cabs, and cast-iron staircases. The SIBL opened within the building in 1996. CUNY was scheduled to move the Graduate Center there in late 1999, but the relocation was delayed due to setbacks in construction. The CUNY Graduate Center moved to the B. Altman Building in 2000. In 2012, because of the NYPL's budgetary issues, the library arranged to sell off five of

11926-498: The lowest two stories contain a colonnade with double-height engaged columns in the Ionic order , raised upon pedestals and supporting a plain architrave . The columns are largely plain, except the center four, which are fluted and flank a slightly projecting entrance portico in the center three bays. Inside each bay of the colonnade, the first- and second-floor window openings are separated by horizontal stone architraves. The windows on

12060-456: The move from Ladies' Mile to Fifth Avenue, which at the time was still primarily residential. Following Altman's example, other major stores made the move uptown to the "middle" portion of Fifth Avenue, including Best & Co. , W. & J. Sloane , Lord & Taylor , Arnold Constable & Company , and Bergdorf Goodman . The B. Altman Building's stature made it a "three-ring circus", according to The New York Times . The running track on

12194-510: The neighborhood was 64.1% (18,351) White , 4.6% (1,310) African American , 0.1% (34) Native American , 20.8% (5,942) Asian , 0% (8) Pacific Islander , 0.3% (92) from other races , and 2% (569) from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino residents of any race were 8.1% (2,324) of the population. The entirety of Community District 5, which comprises Midtown Manhattan, had 53,120 inhabitants as of NYC Health 's 2018 Community Health Profile, with an average life expectancy of 84.8 years. This

12328-480: The next month. A representative for B. Altman and Company indicated that the Fifth Avenue section of the building would be completed first, followed by the Madison Avenue section. At the time, the structure was planned to cost $ 2.5 million; including the site, the project was to cost $ 5 million. Plans for the building were filed in March 1905, and Marc Eidlitz & Son was hired as general contractor. The same month, he paid

12462-809: The north are the Gorham Building at 390 Fifth Avenue, the Tiffany and Company Building at 401 Fifth Avenue, the Stewart & Company Building at 404 Fifth Avenue , and the Lord & Taylor Building at 424 Fifth Avenue. The B. Altman and Company Building was designed by Trowbridge & Livingston in the Italian Renaissance Revival style and opened in three phases in 1906, 1911, and 1914. The main section on Fifth Avenue, opened in 1906 and expanded in 1911, has its facade designed as an arcade. The Madison Avenue annex, completed in 1914, has more design motifs than

12596-661: The northeastern corner of 34th Street and Sixth Avenue, directly across from Macy's Herald Square . He ultimately decided on a site on Fifth Avenue, one block to the east, because of the presence of the Waldorf–Astoria hotel at that intersection and because Fifth Avenue was not overshadowed by an elevated line. At the beginning of the 20th century, development was centered on Fifth Avenue north of 34th Street , and many stores on that avenue were situated inside rebuilt 19th-century residences. Benjamin Altman began acquiring land for his Fifth Avenue store in 1895 or 1896, when he obtained

12730-701: The offices where they were at the last minute. Global Infrastructure Partners has an office in Midtown Manhattan. Silicon Alley , the common metonym for New York City's high tech sector, is based in Midtown South , specifically the Flatiron District . Prominent Silicon Alley companies in Midtown include AppNexus , Blue Apron , Gilt , Betterment , Oscar , SoFi , Rent the Runway , Warby Parker , and WeWork . The technology sector has been expanding across Midtown Manhattan since 2010. The biotechnology sector

12864-524: The opening of the Madison Avenue expansion, the public areas of the store were expanded to the fifth floor, which contained a women's writing room, an information bureau, telephones, and a general store. The eighth floor contained the Charleston Gardens restaurant. The ninth floor contained vaults for fur storage, encased in cork 4 to 5 inches (100 to 130 mm) thick. Employees' facilities, including restrooms, dining rooms, and medical aid rooms, were on

12998-492: The original Fifth Avenue structure and its addition. Marc Eidlitz & Son was the general contractor for the building, and Hecla Iron Works manufactured the metalwork. The majority of the building is eight stories tall, but the Madison Avenue side rises to 13 stories. The original section of the building contained entrances on Fifth Avenue, 34th Street, and 35th Street, while the annex contained two additional entrances on Madison Avenue and 35th Street. The structure's facade

13132-520: The payment for them. Seeing potential for the mail order business, by 1876 Stewart had hired twenty clerks to read, respond and mail out the entailed orders. That year he profited by over $ 500,000 from the mailing business alone. Stewart's mail-order business' efficiency, convenience and profits gained so much attention from all over the country that other famous businesses such as Sears , Montgomery Ward and Spiegel's followed in his footsteps. In March 1869 President Ulysses S. Grant offered Stewart

13266-652: The position of Secretary of the Treasury (after Joseph Seligman had declined it), but he was not confirmed by the United States Senate . One impediment to Stewart's appointment was a provision in the 1789 law which established the Treasury Department, prohibiting an importer from heading the Department. Grant requested the two houses of Congress to override the provision, but upon the objection of Charles Sumner ,

13400-562: The request was not considered in the Senate. The main reason was that Republicans were angry with Stewart for supporting President Andrew Johnson, and for opposing high protective tariffs that the GOP promoted in its appeal to industry. In 1869 and 1870 A. T. Stewart built the first of the grand Fifth Avenue palaces, on the northwest corner of 34th Street , across from the doyenne of New York society, Caroline Schermerhorn Astor . His architect, as for

13534-423: The row house at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street was still being leased by art dealer Knoedler . The lease did not expire for "five or six more years" and negotiations between Knoedler and Altman had reached an impasse. Additionally, there were several incidents during construction. Three workers were killed and several were injured in a December 1905 dynamite explosion, and there was an attempt the same month to sabotage

13668-423: The same locations as B. Altman's previous store on Sixth Avenue . The first through fourth floors were used as selling floors, while the upper floors were used as workshops, offices, and stockrooms. On the third floor, which sold suits and linens, there was a large room with mirrors, which could be slid aside to allow natural light. The fourth floor had a waiting room with wooden desks and chairs, and telephones. With

13802-469: The second section opened, the building had a floor area of 550,000 square feet (51,000 m). Two landowners, Margaret A. Howard and William Waldorf Astor , owned the remaining sites on Madison Avenue. Altman bought Howard's land in October 1910, paying $ 750,000 for three lots that Howard had bought for $ 190,000 two decades previously. He also took a long-term lease from Astor, who was generally averse to selling off his family's land. These transactions cost

13936-526: The southern ends. The B. Altman Building is close to the Empire State Building to the southwest, 200 Madison Avenue to the north, the Church of the Incarnation to the northeast, the Collectors Club of New York to the east, and the Madison Belmont Building to the southeast. It is one of several former major retail buildings on the surrounding stretch of Fifth Avenue. Within four blocks to

14070-473: The store, Stewart placed cases full of merchandise along the sidewalk in front of the store as a way of advertising his establishment. Stewart claimed that "the messy clutter in front of the store and pushing crowds advertised the business." As he rose to the top of the retail developers, Stewart included no signs on any place of his store and did not use any advertisements until May 13, 1831. He felt that anyone who wanted to shop in his store would "know where it

14204-402: The store, out of respect to people who lived nearby. In 1924, Altman's acquired the final land lease for the building, consisting of two lots at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street. Altman's thus had ownership of all lots on the block. The facade was renovated in 1936 after some of the limestone had deteriorated. Parts of the original facade were replaced with simplified designs; for instance, portions of

14338-481: The store, was John Kellum . When all of Fifth Avenue was of brownstone rowhouses, Stewart's fireproof structure in French Second Empire style was faced with marble. It had three main floors and an attic in a mansard roof. A mezzanine floor at cornice height was used for storage. The house was separated from the sidewalks by a moat-like light well that lit the service areas in the basement. The main parlor ran

14472-562: The top of America's most successful retailers. The building, originally four stories over a ground floor supported on cast-iron Corinthian columns, survives at 280 Broadway at the corner of Chambers Street, just across from his first store. It offered imported European women's clothing. In addition to its merchandise, the second floor offered the first women's "fashion shows" as full-length mirrors enabled women to view themselves from different angles. The Italianate design , faced with Tuckahoe marble , featured four floors of pedimented windows,

14606-500: The twelfth floor. Since its refurbishment in the 1990s, the B. Altman Building has been shared by the City University of New York (CUNY)'s Graduate Center and Oxford University Press (OUP). The space of a third occupant, New York Public Library (NYPL), was sold off to several other condominium owners in the 2010s. The Graduate Center is on the Fifth Avenue side of the building. The first through seventh floors contain classrooms, student spaces, and offices. The Mina Rees Library of

14740-748: The upper floors that it had used as office space. The NYPL's eight-floor condominium was divided four ways in 2012, and the five upper floors were sold that year for $ 60.8 million to the Church Pension Fund. The NYPL announced in 2016 that the SIBL would close after the completion of an upcoming renovation of the Mid-Manhattan Library . The same year, it sold the remaining office condominium unit to Seattle developer Vulcan Inc. , headed by Paul Allen , for $ 93 million. The Museum of Pop Culture , which had been founded by Allen, indicated in 2018 that it

14874-452: The west, 34th Street on the south, Madison Avenue on the east, and 35th Street on the north. The building's land lot has a total area of 82,950 square feet (7,706 m); it measures 197.5 feet (60.2 m) from north to south and 420 feet (130 m) from west to east. Because of the topography of the region, the northern ends of the Fifth and Madison Avenue facades are slightly higher than

15008-399: The windows, as well as a horizontal band course above the windows. The fourth through sixth stories have square-headed openings, with no keystones, and a frieze runs above the sixth floor. The seventh and eighth stories are designed as a double-height arcade, similar to the base; each bay has a square-headed window under a semicircular window, separated by a transom. A heavy cornice runs above

15142-757: The world and owned several mills and factories. He had an annual income of US$ 1,843,637 in 1863 (equivalent to $ 35.8 million in 2023). His business success is estimated to have made him one of the twenty wealthiest people in history as of 2007, with a fortune equivalent to approximately US$ 90 billion in 2012. Alexander Turney Stewart was born in Lisburn, Ireland, to Scottish Protestant parents on October 12, 1803. Three weeks after his birth, Stewart's farmer father died of tuberculosis. About two years later Stewart's mother remarried and followed her new husband to America, leaving Stewart behind to be raised by his grandfather, John Torney. Torney wanted his only grandson to become

15276-509: The world's highest retail rents and is the most expensive shopping street in the world. Midtown Manhattan is the country's largest commercial, entertainment , and media center, and is also a growing financial and fintech center. Many of New York City's skyscrapers , including its tallest hotels and apartment towers , are located in Midtown Manhattan. The neighborhood hosts commuters and residents working in its offices, hotels, and retail establishments, tourists and students. Times Square,

15410-403: Was $ 101,981, though the median income in Midtown individually was $ 120,854. In 2018, an estimated 11% of Midtown Manhattan residents lived in poverty, compared to 14% in all of Manhattan and 20% in all of New York City. One in twenty residents (5%) were unemployed, compared to 7% in Manhattan and 9% in New York City. Rent burden, or the percentage of residents who have difficulty paying their rent,

15544-503: Was announced, with the aim of reducing traffic congestion. Approximately 750,000 vehicles enter Midtown Manhattan on a fall business day. According to the 2011 Traffic Data Report for New York State, 777,527 vehicles a day went through select toll facilities into Manhattan. The New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division , First Department, is located at the Appellate Division Courthouse at 25th Street and Madison Avenue

15678-475: Was buying other properties on the block. Purchases of property on the block accelerated after plans for Pennsylvania Station and Grand Central Terminal , two major transport hubs nearby, were respectively announced in 1902 and 1903. By then, some landowners had begun to suspect that the buildings on the block were being sold for commercial purposes, and they either refused to sell or offered only to rent their properties. The five-story building at 361 Fifth Avenue

15812-464: Was closed at that time. Although the original design entailed developing Knoedler's holdout lot, the initial section of the building wrapped around the lot. Knoedler moved uptown in 1910, and Trowbridge and Livingston filed plans for the second section of the building, to be erected on Knoedler's old lot, that December. The section at the corner of Fifth Avenue and 34th Street opened in September 1911. After

15946-602: Was completed in 1900 by architect James Brown Lord , who used a third of the construction budget to decorate the building with statues and murals. The Puerto Rico Federal Affairs Administration operates its New York office on the 22nd floor at 135 West 50th Street . Several countries, including Algeria , Argentina , The Bahamas , China , Costa Rica , Germany , Ireland , Israel , Jamaica , Japan , Luxembourg , Mexico , Morocco , Saudi Arabia , Singapore , South Africa , South Korea , United Kingdom , and Ukraine , have Permanent Missions accredited to

16080-553: Was considering opening a location in the SIBL space. The SIBL was permanently closed after the Mid-Manhattan Library reopened in 2020 as the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Library, with a business center that replaced the SIBL's collection. At the building's opening, a Times critic wrote that "the store adds materially to the beauty of Fifth Avenue". Altman's had been the first big department store to make

16214-408: Was designed by Trowbridge & Livingston in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. Most of the building is eight stories tall, though the Madison Avenue end rises to thirteen stories. It contains a facade made largely of French limestone, except at the Madison Avenue end, where the ninth through thirteenth stories and most of the Madison Avenue side are faced with white brick. The facade contains

16348-463: Was generally intended to harmonize with the designs of mansions on Fifth Avenue, which at the time of the building's completion was largely residential. The design, across the street from the grand residence of department-store rival A. T. Stewart and diagonally across the avenue from the residence of Caroline Schermerhorn Astor , was planned to complement the surrounding palatial mansions. The design used imported French limestone. The B. Altman Building

16482-509: Was his "personal attention to the details of the business... He could have had others to look after the details — they have to be looked after, but few attend to sweeping up, and that's what Stewart did." In 1917 the New York Sun newspaper bought Stewart's Marble Palace for its main offices. In 1966 the building was designated a landmark by the City of New York. On May 1, 1890, a notice appeared in

16616-434: Was illuminated on cloudy days by electric lamps that were placed behind the dome. There were also sales galleries placed around the rotunda. The rotunda was replaced with escalators in the 1930s. The interiors had high ceilings: the first floor had a ceiling height of 22 feet (6.7 m) while the second and third floors had ceilings of 18 feet (5.5 m). When the store opened in 1906, its various departments were placed in

16750-430: Was located." A natural salesman, Stewart realized that "you will deal with ignorant, opinionated and innocent people. You will often have an opportunity to cheat them. If they could, they would cheat you, or force you to sell at less than cost. You must be wise, but not too wise. You must never actually cheat the customer, even if you can.... You must make her happy and satisfied, so she will come back." Stewart held that

16884-516: Was moving its North American headquarters from Midtown to Melville , New York , in Suffolk County on Long Island . Based on data from the 2010 United States Census , the population of Midtown Manhattan was 28,630, a change of 2,823 (9.9%) from the 25,807 counted in 2000 . Covering an area of 692.81 acres (280.37 ha), the neighborhood had a population density of 41.3 inhabitants per acre (26,400/sq mi; 10,200/km ). The racial makeup of

17018-532: Was paid and remains were returned, although never verified as his. A local legend states that the mausoleum holding his remains is rigged with security devices that will cause the bells of the Cathedral to ring if ever disturbed. According to biographer Harry Resseguie, his vast fortune was soon lost. It: Was either wasted in inept business ventures, poured into charities never contemplated by its owner, or frittered away in dissipation, luxurious living, or in fees to

17152-498: Was planned to be the first phase of a total renovation of the building. The renovation stalled due to Altman's financial issues. Altman's filed for bankruptcy in August 1989, By that November, the flagship was set to close. The building had been placed at auction for one month, but no bidders made an offer for the building. Altman's liquidated its merchandise, and the store within the building permanently closed on December 31, 1989. Although

17286-464: Was reconfigured to house the City University of New York 's Graduate Center , the New York Public Library 's Science, Industry and Business Library , and the Oxford University Press . The B. Altman and Company Building was made a New York City designated landmark in 1985. The B. Altman and Company Building occupies a full city block in Midtown Manhattan , bounded by Fifth Avenue on

17420-581: Was sold in January 1904, and the buyer paid such a high price for the relatively small lot ($ 170,000) that the Real Estate Record and Guide presumed that the buyer was acting on Altman's behalf. Altman was initially unable to acquire some holdout properties, as many owners "declined even to entertain offers" and some lessees "became as violent obstructionists as the owners themselves". However, these individuals did not form any alliances to specifically prevent

17554-408: Was sold on July 2, 2007, for US$ 510 million, about US$ 1,589 per square foot (US$ 17,104/m ), it broke the barely month-old record for an American office building of US$ 1,476 per square foot (US$ 15,887/m ) based on the sale of 660 Madison Avenue . In 2014, Manhattan was home to six of the top ten zip codes in the United States by median housing price. In 2019, the most expensive home sale ever in

17688-462: Was solely owned by Benjamin Altman and was located at Third Avenue and 10th Street by 1865. The residential core of Manhattan, once concentrated in lower Manhattan , moved uptown during the late 19th century. By the 1870s, stores were being established between 14th and 23rd Streets in the Ladies' Mile area, including B. Altman and Company, which opened a store at Sixth Avenue between 18th and 19th Streets. Altman's Sixth Avenue store occupied

17822-469: Was taken over in 1882 by Hilton, Hughes & Co. (who were associates of Stewart), then by Wanamaker's department store in 1896, ultimately burning down in 1956. Drawings of the interior from the Hilton, Hughes era. A. T. Stewart & Company did not go unnoticed throughout the country. Along with his successful retail store in New York City, Stewart also established himself as one of the wealthiest men in

17956-448: Was the first commercial structure in New York City to use the material, which had previously been used only on residential buildings. The four elevations or sides are largely similar to each other. On all sides, the first two floors comprise an arcaded base, the third through sixth floors contain square windows, and the seventh and eighth floors comprise an arched arcade. The Fifth and Madison Avenue facades both contain nine bays , but

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