The landmarked Lord & Taylor building on Fifth Avenue will welcome the public for the first time since the department store closed in 2019 when Shaver Hall, a 35,000-square-foot dining and entertainment destination, opens on June 26. The project marks the latest chapter in the reinvention of one of New York’s most recognizable retail properties.
Shaver Hall will feature 11 chef-curated eateries, three full-service restaurants, and live entertainment programming across the building’s ground floor. The concept follows the food hall model that has proliferated across Manhattan in recent years, but its location — on Fifth Avenue at 38th Street, in a 1914 Renaissance Revival landmark — gives it a distinct architectural identity that newer purpose-built food halls cannot replicate.
Amazon purchased the building in 2020 for approximately $978 million and converted the upper floors into its largest corporate office space in the city, which opened in 2023. The food hall occupies space that was originally the department store’s ground-floor retail, and its design retains elements of the building’s historic interior, including original columns and ceiling details.
The opening of Shaver Hall is part of a broader trend of food-driven activation in Midtown Manhattan. Several major food halls and dining destinations have launched in the district in the past two years, as property owners seek to drive foot traffic to office buildings where weekday occupancy remains below pre-pandemic norms. The strategy reflects a recognition that compelling ground-floor experiences — particularly food offerings — can serve as an amenity for office tenants and a draw for visitors.
Fifth Avenue’s retail corridor has been undergoing a significant transition. Traditional department store closures — including Lord & Taylor, as well as the nearby Saks and Bergdorf Goodman evolving their formats — have prompted property owners to rethink how these large floorplates are activated. Food halls, experiential retail, and wellness concepts are increasingly filling spaces that once housed conventional retail.
For Amazon, the food hall adds a hospitality dimension to a building that was previously accessible only to employees. The decision to open the ground floor to the public reflects both a zoning obligation and a strategic choice to contribute to the street-level vitality that supports its office operations and the surrounding neighborhood’s recovery.
Early reactions from Midtown office workers and hospitality industry observers have been positive, with particular interest in the building’s historic architectural features and the caliber of chef talent announced for the initial vendor lineup. If Shaver Hall succeeds, it could provide a template for how other landmarked commercial properties in Midtown can activate ground-floor spaces that have sat vacant since the pandemic.
