According to permits issued ten days ago to David Murray of Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, 940 Madison Avenue in New York City has been approved for renovation as a new store for Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL). Issued by the NYC Department of Buildings, the permit notes that the property involved is a historic site, but nevertheless approves interior “non-structural demolition” for “architectural” purposes. The permit also indicates that no expansion of the premises is planned, but that the process might affect the building’s stability.
The building involved is something of a local landmark, standing near the mouth of 74th Street. Built in the early 1920s to house the United States Mortgage and Trust Company, it was the first major bank to open along this section of Madison Avenue. The stone and stucco building has a grand feeling, yet also expresses a surprisingly lightweight, airy aesthetic both outside and inside. The now-historic building has two stories with high ceilings. The interior features polished hardwood floors and tall, curtain-flanked windows.
Two separate permits have been issued, one for a $60,000 interior demolition and renovation plan, the second for $20,000 in soil testing around and under the foundations. The testing is likely a search for contaminants. The building’s layout includes a 4,000 square foot ground floor and a basement of equal size, including a secure vault where cash and valuables were once stored when the site was a bank.
Currently, the building is occupied by VBH, a luxury boutique specializing in extravagantly expensive Italian fashions, including $14,000 purses. The store placed its jewelry collection in the vault, probably as much for glamor and excitement as for actual security. Soon, however, the click of spike heels and the rustle of thousand-dollar fabrics hand-stitched in Florence, Italy will be replaced by the hum of processors and the beep of activating smartphones.
The new site is expected to open next year, at some point during 2015. This establishment will join the Fifth Avenue Store as one of the beachheads of Apple in the Big Apple. The “6” train is the nearest subway serving the area, with a station at 77th Street, three blocks from the new Apple Store. Since the company Eckersley O’Callaghan is involved in the construction, it seems likely that the new location will soon by fronted by a spectacular glass entryway, too.
