Many New Yorkers don’t realize that one of the city’s most iconic landmarks isn’t just a department store—it’s the largest department store in the world.
Stretching across an entire city block in the heart of Herald Square, Macy’s flagship has been a defining part of the Manhattan skyline since it opened in 1902, welcoming generations of shoppers beneath its famous “The World’s Largest Store” sign.
For more than six decades, another unmistakable piece of that skyline has been impossible to miss: the giant illuminated red-and-white shopping bag billboard perched above the store’s Broadway corner.
The iconic Macy’s shopping bag sign became a symbol of Herald Square
The four-story sign has been a Herald Square staple since 1963, when Macy’s secured the advertising rights to a small five-story holdout building at the corner of Broadway and West 34th Street.
And although the department store never owned the building itself, the bag quickly became one of Midtown’s most recognizable landmarks, serving as a familiar backdrop for generations of New Yorkers and visitors passing through one of the city’s busiest intersections.
The end of an era
But after standing watch over one of the city’s busiest intersections for as long as many citygoers can remember, the beloved billboard is about to disappear.
In June, Macy’s confirmed the iconic shopping bag display would be removed as part of a major modernization project, marking the end of an era for one of the city’s most recognizable retail landmarks.
While original construction for the removal began last month, New Yorkers in the area noticed even more progress was being made on the project this weekend. Nearly a full side of the handbag has been removed.
Though Macy’s has said a modernized replacement is on the way, it’s hard not to feel a little nostalgic watching such a recognizable part of Herald Square fade into history.
But as one chapter closes and another begins, New Yorkers can at least take comfort in knowing that while the city’s skyline is always evolving, the memories attached to its most beloved landmarks have a way of sticking around.