Updated: 6:30 p.m.
PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Macy's has celebrated its last holiday season in Center City. As has long been speculated, the iconic department store has decided to close the location, ending a 114-year history of retail in the famous Wanamaker Building.
Prima Gupta, president and CEO of Center City District, placed the Macy’s closure within the context of a larger transformation in American retail, saying more than 1,800 department stores have closed nationwide since 2019.
“This reflects a fundamental shift in the way people shop, rather than any Philadelphia-specific challenge."
Macy's says 65 locations — in malls, downtowns, cities and suburbs — will close by spring. City officials are presenting it as an opportunity for economic revitalization in Market East and Center City.
“It is a sad day for Philadelphia, but it is also an opportunity for us,” said Councilmember Mark Squilla, fighting to keep his tone hopeful at a City Hall briefing Thursday afternoon. The Wanamaker Building sits in his district.
“We have a lot of challenging times ahead of us, and that means we have to get to work to make sure we have a vision for East Market Street.”
Alba Martinez, the city’s director of commerce, said she is encouraged by conversations with the building’s owner, T F Cornerstone.
“T F Cornerstone understands and values the significance of landmark buildings such as this one, and I am confident that their passion, vision and creativity will bring new life to the Wanamaker Building.”
Martinez suggested mixed uses, such as smaller retail, dining, residential and cultural attractions. She said the city is prepared to help find new employment for workers who will be laid off in the next eight weeks.
'Very sad but not unexpected'
The 12-story Wanamaker Building, constructed at 100 E. Penn Square between 1902 and 1910, contains hundreds of thousands of square feet of office space, and features a 28,000-pipe organ, which has been played for holidays and special occasions for years.
A Grand Court organist treated a sparse crowd of shoppers to a farewell performance of sorts, after the news of the closure was confirmed. The largest functional organ in the world sounded out a slow and melancholic assortment of songs in the cavernous and mostly empty Macy’s, closing with Auld Lang Syne, as fitting a farewell as any.
The scene brought to mind, perhaps, the musicians who played on the deck of the Titanic as the ship went down in the North Atlantic.
The news came during a routine Macy’s run for Jim Shay of Old City.
“Just a reliable place to get something in a jam, right downtown,” he said. “There’s not too many places like that around here anymore, so it’s a shame.”
Mara Bailey of Germantown said she is sad to see another retail storefront go empty.
“That is very disheartening. A lot of times when you’re purchasing something—especially clothes—you wanna try it on first. And you need brick and mortar stores to be able to do that.”
Bailey has fond memories of attending the holiday music-and-lights show with her family.
“The organ. Bringing the kids down here to listen to that. And Christmas time is real special down here. So, yeah, I think everybody’s gonna miss that.”
Michael Westover of South Philly says something will be missing in the heart of the city, but the writing was on the wall.
“I don’t think it’ll affect me, but it’ll be a big blank in Center City. There’s gonna be a big empty department store building,” he said.
“It’s very sad but not unexpected. This is a big store to maintain. You need a lot of customers. So I get it.”