The Seigel-Cooper Building

You’ve certainly walked by it and have most likely been in it a few times to shop. What you may have not been aware of was that you were in the presence of architectural grandeur. Taking up the entire block from 18th to 19th on 6th Avenue the Siegel-Cooper Building tends to lose a lot of its historic street cred due to the current branding of its tenants, Bed Bath and Beyond, TJ Maxx and Marshalls. It’s kind of like those three retailers had a meeting and were like, “Hey! Wanna vandalize a Roman temple with our horrible branding?” 

Photo by A. Cronson

Before we jump into the building itself, it’s important to know historically what that stretch of 6th avenue was in the early 1900's. From the Civil War to roughly World War I, 6th avenue from 14th Street to 23rd Street was known as Ladies’ Mile and was a fashionable shopping district. The Avenue was lined with upscale department stores like B. Altman, Best & Co., Bergdorf Goodman, Gorham Silver, W. & J. Sloane, Lord & Taylor, and Tiffany & Co. and thanks to the El Train running up 6th ave easily accessible. Next time you’re in the area look up the street and remove all the trashy branding currently in place and you’ll see that the buildings are quite remarkable. 

Siegel-Cooper Building, note the 6th Avenue El station connecting into the building.
Photo by NYPL Digital Archive

In 1897, Siegel-Cooper, and Co. opened the then largest department store in the world. It was designed in the Beaux-Arts Style by DeLemos & Cordes who would later go on to design Macy’s in Herald Square. Unheard of at the time, it was six stories tall and took up the entire block with 85,000 square feet, massive! So big in fact that on opening day The New York Times reported roughly 150,000 people attempted to enter the store. 

1903
Photo by Library of Congress

I know that in our lifetime the concept  of a department store is nothing new, but imagine in 1900 the idea that everything was in one place… epic. And Siegel-Cooper’s had it all! From clothing and home goods, groceries, a barber shop, theater, art gallery, photo studio, bank, dental office, a greenhouse that sold plants, and even a restaurant in the basement level. They employed over 3,000 people! 

The menu at Siegel-Cooper’s restaurant. Hmmm… what to get? A lettuce sandwich or maybe a tongue sandwich, so many decisions

Photo by NYPL Digital Archive

One notable feature of Seigel-Cooper’s was the ground level 13-foot-high fountain. Designed by Daniel C. French “The Republic” was a statue of a figurine holding the staff of Liberty in one hand and in its other a golden orb which an eagle perched on. Soon, a new catch phrase was coined (similar to today where one might meet in Grand Central at the Tiffany Clock) “Meet me at the fountain.” 

The fountain inside Seigel-Coopers
Photo by Library of Congress

By 1902, the landscape of the city was again changing. Macys decided to move further uptown and build its flagship store in Herald Square on 34th Street. This meant that the clientele moved uptown as well, over time making Ladies’ Mile a thing of the past and putting a lot of stores out of business.In 1904 Henry Seigel sold the department store to Joseph B. Greenhut for a mere $500,000. Greenhut’s department store lasted until around 1915 when the area had totally dried up. 

At the onset of World War I the building actually became a military hospital (Debarkation Hospital No. 3)! 

Siegel-Cooper’s department store turned World War I’s Debarkation Hospital No. 3
Photo by The New York Academy of Medicine Library

Soon after, it had dark days as a storage warehouse until the 1990’s when it was renovated and re-marketed to retailers.

I spend a lot of time in the area because The Agency’s NYC office is close by. The Flatiron neighborhood is also a hip place to live and I’ve had numerous clients asking for apartment tours there. A few years ago I helped clients secure a very private triplex Penthouse there. Check out some of the images below. 

Here are a few pictures of a unit currently on the market. It's a 6,000 sf five-bedroom, nine-bathroom unit located on the 8th floor overlooking Central Park priced at $20 million (50% financing). 

Photo by SERHANT

The next time you’re in the area do me a favor, stop on the corner across the street from the Siegel-Cooper Building and really study it, it deserves the recognition and you might just find yourself in awe. 

Photos by Chris Baker