Experience Design, Interior Design
The adaptive reuse of the historic Lord & Taylor flagship at 424 Fifth Avenue posed a broader urban challenge: how to transform one of New York City’s most iconic retail landmarks into a destination that serves both its new occupants and the wider public? As the building became Amazon’s largest New York City corporate office, its 35,000-square-foot ground floor needed to become more than an entrance. It needed to reconnect the landmark with Midtown, creating a space where people would choose to gather throughout the day and into the evening.
Journey worked closely with FB Society and ZGF Architects on overall space planning, guest experience and stall design language, helping to shape a hospitality experience that reflects the building’s storied history while giving it new relevance within contemporary urban life.
“A destination that reflects the diversity and energy of New York City’s dining scene.”
– Forbes
“The rare food hall that already knows exactly who it’s for”
At the center of Shaver Hall, a performance and gathering space anchors the experience, echoing the theatricality of Lord & Taylor’s historic displays and creating a strong sense of place within the wider venue. Surrounded by multiple restaurant and bar concepts, the stage gives the hall a natural focal point, turning the experience from a collection of dining venues into a shared cultural platform and a destination where food, design and entertainment come together under one landmark roof.
The experience is organized as a series of individual culinary boutiques, each with its own identity, while sitting within a cohesive architectural language. Journey’s scope included overall space planning across the food hall, main bar, retail offer, steakhouse and stage, ensuring each element worked as part of a connected guest journey. Woven canopy structures connect the food concepts overhead, creating a sense of rhythm and continuity across the hall. Illuminated signage, inspired by luxury fashion labels, gives each tenant a distinct presence and reinforces the idea of food concepts as brands in their own right.
“It is a food hall in structure, certainly, although the experience feels closer to a grand social machine built for appetite, movement, and a little Midtown mischief”
–AMNY
“Shaver Hall is an experience that brings together Michelin-starred talent, the nostalgia of a Brooklyn slice, and the social energy of a great cocktail bar under one roof”
– 6sqft