Macy's Hidden Holdout Building Revealed After Over a Century of Billboards
By billboards for over 100 years, holdout building by Macy's is back
For the first time since the early 1900s, the tiny holdout building at the northwest corner of Herald Square is visible again as Macy's dismantles its century-old billboards. This five-story structure, originally owned by Rev. Duane Pell and later sold to rival Siegel-Cooper, was built around by Macy's in a spiteful real estate battle. Now, with the iconic shopping bag ad removed, the historic facade stands exposed, marking a rare moment where this emblem of Manhattan's bitter retail wars reemerges from the shadows.
This tiny parcel was the property of an old-time New Yorker, Rev. Duane Pell, who felt that he had held the key to the entire important Herald Square corner and that he was justified in asking any price he saw fit.