Google Earth aerial showing location of 707 Sixth Avenue (CItyRealty)
An application has been filed to vertically expand and convert 707 Sixth Avenue — a landmarked commercial loft building that presently houses Burlington Coat Factory along a shopping corridor in the Chelsea neighborhood. The permit calls for growing the building from five floors to eight, adding roughly 37,000 square feet to its 160,000-square-foot bulk. Gensler is listed as the architect, and the international firm's previous projects include 25 Kent in Williamsburg, 601 Lexington's retail overhaul, and Conde' Nast's new offices in 1 WTC. The floor schedule shows the three floors that the department store currently occupies will mostly be converted to offices, but the ground-floor will remain dedicated to retail use.
The building was erected in 1889 as the Ehrich Brothers Department Store, though Burlington has occupied the space since the 1990s. Like many of the “commercial palaces” that line the Ladies’ Mile, 707 Sixth Avenue was conceived as a grand emporium that would cater to a growing middle-class clientele. After failing to acquire all the desired parcels for the intended design, the brothers settled for a smaller T-shaped building with frontages along Sixth Avenue, 22nd Street and 23rd Street.
The building's Sixth Avenue facade (CityRealty)
The building's 23rd Street leg (CityRealty)
Designed by William Schickel & Co., the ground floor features large display windows and cast-iron store piers that were recently restored. On several piers, ornamental tile work marked with the letter "K" is a reminder of a Kesner department store that failed to open in the building a century ago. Above, a giant order of fluted pilasters and paired windows characterize the façade. Its crown is an elaborate cornice adorned with heads of lions.
The building is situated at the northwestern corner of the Ladies’ Mile Historic District, and any exterior alterations or additions will have to pass muster with the city's Landmarks Preservation Commission. The nebulously defined area is near Flatiron, Chelsea and Union Square, and is sometimes called Silicon Alley due to the conflagration of tech tenants making their home there. Two Trees recently retrofitted a nearby cast-iron gem at 50 West 23rd Street and attracted major tech tenants such as Grovo and Soundcloud.
As of 2016, Burlington Coat Factory operated 591 stores across the country, according to their annual report. Besides the Ladies’ Mile location, there are three other Burlington locations in Manhattan with one nearby at 4 Union Square South and two others uptown in Harlem. The company’s Financial District location closed after 9/11 and the buildings it called home were demolished to make way for El Gamal’s 45 Park Place.
707 Sixth Avenue (CityRealty)
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