Client
FB Society
Location
New York City, United States
Collaborators
ZGF Architects
Sector
Hospitality & Guest Experience
Services Provided:
Design
Experience Design
Interior Design
Challenge
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.
Solution
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 landmark reimagined
Set within one of New York’s most recognizable retail landmarks, the project transforms the former department store into a contemporary food hall built around discovery, craft and social connection. Conceived as part of a wider vision for an 18-hour district, Shaver Hall was designed to bring together office workers, local residents, visitors and local businesses throughout the day and into the evening. At a time when historic buildings are being reimagined as part of wider urban development, the project demonstrates how heritage assets can remain active, useful and culturally relevant, rather than being preserved as static landmarks alone.
Named after Dorothy Shaver, Lord & Taylor’s first female president, Shaver Hall takes inspiration from her progressive approach to retail hospitality. Shaver introduced concepts such as The Bird Cage restaurant and The Milk Bar for children, using food and beverage as an innovative way to extend the customer experience and encourage people to spend more time in-store.
That legacy directly informs the new destination. With 11 curated food and beverage concepts, two bars and three restaurants, Shaver Hall brings together local purveyors and emerging culinary talent from the New York market, alongside a diverse mix of experiences including omakase, steakhouse dining, a modern bodega, wine and cheese bar, butcher shop and international food concepts. The offer balances chef-led dining, casual local favorites and everyday convenience, creating an experience that feels elevated while remaining open and accessible to a broad Midtown audience. FB Society brings a successful portfolio of entertainment-centric dining destinations, including Legacy Hall and Assembly Hall, with Shaver Hall marking its first foray into New York City.
A public-facing destination
Journey developed the guest experience by drawing directly from the building’s legacy as a place of hospitality, fashion, theater and cultural influence. For decades, Lord & Taylor used its Fifth Avenue presence to welcome New Yorkers into a world of service, style and discovery, from its celebrated window displays to its refined interiors. That same spirit of presentation and generosity sits at the heart of Shaver Hall, creating a destination that feels rooted in the original department store while offering a distinctly contemporary New York experience. Rather than operating as a private workplace amenity, Shaver Hall helps open the building back up to the city, supporting Amazon’s wider ambition to contribute to Midtown’s revitalization through public hospitality, culture and neighborhood use. In this sense, the food hall acts as a civic and urban lobby for the building, activating the ground floor along Fifth Avenue and creating a more generous public interface between the landmark and Midtown.
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.
The material palette references the craftsmanship and detail of fashion retail, combining rich tones, metallic accents, warm woods and layered textures. Journey developed the overall design language, materiality and interior design approach for the Food Hall, Tallow Steakhouse and Pick & Cheese conveyor belt counter, creating a shared design framework while allowing each concept to retain its own character. The result is an environment that feels elevated, social and accessible, balancing the heritage of the building with the energy of a contemporary New York dining destination.
A stage for Midtown
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.
A rotating program of live music, DJs, sports watch parties and cultural events extends the experience beyond dining, giving Shaver Hall an active public life from day into night. In doing so, Shaver Hall becomes a contemporary civic destination within a historic retail landmark, reconnecting the former Lord & Taylor flagship with Midtown through food, culture, entertainment and everyday gathering.
