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The NY Times looks at how the Time Warner "Don't Call Me a Mall!" Center is doing, a day after news that famed Chicago chef Charlie Trotter won't be opening a restaurant there. The Whole Foods and the Borders are doing well, as is the Williams-Sonoma, but no word on the other stores who are tucked into the sides or on upper floors, which would be more interesting to learn about, since whenever Gothamist happens to be there, the upper floors seem way too empty, save for the thirty tired husbands and children resting their feet at chairs. We liked this mini-history of malls in the heart of the city:
Manhattan has never fervently embraced the mall concept. While Trump Tower's 22-year-old shopping atrium on Fifth Avenue draws some tourists (thanks to its supporting role in "The Apprentice"), Herald Center, the 10-story mall inside the former Gimbel's department store on Herald Square, has had a troubled history. Originally bankrolled by Ferdinand E. Marcos, the Philippine dictator, it opened in 1985 with tenants that included Ann Taylor, Brookstone and Caswell-Massey. After a mortgage default and an auction, it was reinvented as a discount mall, with stores like Payless Shoes.Of course, Gothamist stands by the idea that if you put a glass roof over Soho, you'd be able to call it a mall, but the Soho business development group refuses to do that, do far. One NJ woman tells the TImes she thinks the Time Warner Center " is a place to escape, an oasis in the city. I come here as often as I can." Gothamist knows from experience that this statement is the product of insane parking and crowded malls in NJ; the really ferocious shoppers like to go at 10AM on Sundays, to avoid the crowds.
Gothamist on how the Time Warner Center didn't want to be known as a mall, the restaurants all-stars there, how construction hurt pedestrians, and its Whole Foods.
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The Time Warner Center is ok. I go to the Equinox downstairs which I love. Other than Borders and Whole Foods, the only store I go to there is Sephora and that's.....ok, there are better Sephora's in the city. I just go there out of convenience since it's so close to work.
Calling the TWC an "oasis in the city" makes me want to throw up, esp since the damn thing is right next to Central Park. NJ people are weird and fucked up.
No, putting a roof over SoHo wouldn't make it a mall. You'd have to shut out all traffic, too. Which would be fine by me. I just love it when the city closes all streets in a section of town for an event and people can walk through the streets without worrying about being run over.
re: oasis comment up top - har!
Whole Foods is great, but it would be great in any building. The mall is the worst, as all malls in NYC are. In this case the stores are terribly elitist, and of course its not public property so that pretty much kills everything that is wonderful about NY Street life....political outbursts, breakdancing, whatever etc.
Revitalization of that corner is better than before and they did a very very nice job with the trees and little stool like things along the whole front that you can sit on.
The mall still sucks - they could have carved it up more to have towers with more public space and smaller lower price retail. Jazz upstairs is totally cool, but the building is pretty damn imposing, like a set of big glass knifes hurtling at you.
Lastly, Columbus Cirlce is still a swirling death trap. They should have done something to slow the cars, force a left turn, anything, cut it off. Its almost impossible to not get killed on roller blades or a bike or walking by hell bound cabs and buses.
BTW - there used to be a bus that left from that corner that would take family members (yes all black) out to the prisons. thats not at the mall. Hmmm...wonder where they moved that too?!!