The latest Apple Store opened in the Meatpacking District yesterday at 6:00 pm. This is Apple’s third and largest store in NYC. The store occupies three floors in what was the old Western Beef building. The building went through a major renovation and addition by my office Cook+Fox Architects. The building is a Landmark designated building. The facade was painstakingly restored and the original sign on the top of the building remains. A penthouse was added to the top of the building and is skillfully designed to be camouflaged by the sign but at the same time offer fantastic views of the Meatpacking district and the Hudson river to the west.
This is a picture of the overall building with the penthouse visible under the sign.
This is a picture of the store inside with the now trademark full glass staircase.
Some facts about the store from Gizmodo
It may not be the biggest like we suggested—Chicago’s Michigan Ave still beats it by a few square feet—but the first three-story Apple Store has a lot going on that others do not:
- Apple’s first three-story glass staircase (we were wrong about the elevator)
- 46-foot Genius Bar capable of serving 100 tech-support seekers per hour with 12 stations. It isn’t the longest GB in the world though; somewhere there’s a 50 footer.
- Pro Labs: Free multi-session classes in Logic, Final Cut and Aperture. Six students sign up for 2hrs, once a week for four weeks. The classes are intense and totally free, starting Jan. 7.
- It won’t be open 24 hours like the Fifth Avenue store, but it will be open til midnight.
- A Concierge team wearing light blue shirts will be on hand to show off all the shop’s wares.
- A total of 175 employees will work the store, mostly veterans from other NYC stores.
- This store will have an entire floor dedicated to service, that’s 50% more total space for tech support and education than any other Apple Store. [14th St NYC Apple Store]
The lines to enter the store were really long last evening. Circling the block once it became a zig-zag serpentine line as you got closer.
I plan to head out there today evening and check it out for myself.
