Walk down 6th Avenue between 18th and 19th Streets and you can't miss it. 620 Avenue of the Americas is a beast of a building. It's massive. It feels like a literal anchor for the entire Chelsea neighborhood, and honestly, that’s because it is. While other parts of Manhattan are constantly trying to reinvent themselves with glass towers that look like USB sticks, 620 Avenue of the Americas just sits there, rooted in history but packed with some of the biggest names in modern business.
It’s an 800,000-square-foot behemoth. Think about that size for a second. In a city where people fight over 400-square-foot studios, this single footprint occupies nearly an entire city block. It’s got that classic limestone and terra cotta look that screams "Old New York," yet inside, it’s a high-tech hub for companies like Bed Bath & Beyond (back in the day), TJ Maxx, and Marshalls. But there’s way more to this place than just discount home goods and a massive Spotify office nearby.
The Era of the "Big Store" and Why it Matters Now
You've gotta understand that this place wasn't always just a convenient spot to buy a toaster. Back in 1896, when it opened as the Siegel-Cooper Dry Goods Store, it was basically the Burj Khalifa of retail. People called it "The Big Store." It was a spectacle. There was a marble fountain in the center with a brass statue of "The Republic" where shoppers would meet up. "Meet me at the fountain" was a legitimate New York catchphrase because of this building.
The architecture, designed by DeLemos & Cordes, was meant to overwhelm you. It worked.
Even though the fountain is long gone, the scale remains. This is one of the rare spots in Manhattan where big-box retail actually makes sense. Most giant retailers struggle with NYC real estate because the floor plates are too small or broken up by elevator banks. Not here. 620 Avenue of the Americas offers these sprawling, open floors that allow a store like TJ Maxx or Marshalls to actually breathe. It’s one of the reasons the "Ladies' Mile" Historic District—the area this building anchors—remains a shopping pilgrimage site.
Who Actually Owns and Operates 620 Avenue of the Americas?
Ownership in New York real estate is usually a tangled web of shell companies, but 620 Avenue of the Americas is a cornerstone of the RXR Realty portfolio. Scott Rechler’s firm has poured significant capital into making sure this 19th-century giant functions like a 21st-century office and retail hybrid.
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It’s a tough balance.
How do you keep the soul of a landmarked building while installing the fiber optics and HVAC systems required by modern tech tenants? RXR did it by leaning into the industrial-chic aesthetic—high ceilings, massive windows, and exposed elements that startups and creative agencies drool over. It’s not just a retail box; the upper floors are prime office real estate. When you look at the tenant roster, you see a mix of old-school grit and new-school data.
We’re talking about massive ceiling heights. Some floors hit 15 to 17 feet. That’s unheard of in modern construction where every inch is squeezed for profit. At 620 Avenue of the Americas, you get volume. You get light. You get a sense of space that’s increasingly rare in Midtown or Downtown.
The Logistics of a Landmark: It's Not All Glamour
Look, living or working near 6th Avenue is loud. It’s a canyon of yellow cabs and delivery trucks. But from a business perspective, 620 Avenue of the Americas is a logistical dream. It’s sitting right on top of the F and M subway lines at 18th Street, and the PATH train is a stone's throw away at 23rd.
For a retail tenant, this is gold.
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Foot traffic is the lifeblood of retail, and the 23rd Street corridor/Ladies' Mile area pulls in a mix of wealthy Chelsea locals, Flatiron tech workers, and tourists who wandered too far south from Herald Square. But it’s the loading docks that really matter for the "Big Store" functionality. Moving thousands of units of inventory in and out of a Manhattan landmark is a nightmare. 620 was built for it. The original design accounted for massive shipments of dry goods, and that DNA still serves the Marshalls and TJ Maxx stores today.
Current Tenants and the Changing Guard
- TJ Maxx & Marshalls: These are the anchors. They take up massive chunks of the lower levels. If you’ve ever been inside, you know it feels like a labyrinth, but a profitable one.
- WeWork: They had a significant presence here, which made sense given the open floor plates. As WeWork’s footprint in NYC has shifted, the space remains some of the most desirable "creative office" stock in the city.
- Ancestry.com: They’ve held space here, proving that the building appeals to tech firms that need a Manhattan flag.
Why Investors and Urbanists Watch This Building
620 Avenue of the Americas is a bellwether. When the retail apocalypse was the only thing people talked about in 2018 and 2019, everyone looked at this building. If a space this large, in a location this good, couldn't stay filled, then the city was in trouble.
But it stayed relevant.
It survived because it’s adaptable. The building has transitioned from a single department store to a multi-tenant office and retail powerhouse. It proves that historic preservation isn't a death sentence for commercial viability. In fact, the landmark status is a feature, not a bug. Tenants want the "cool factor" of the Corinthian columns and the history of the 1890s, but they need the reliability of a modern building. RXR’s management has basically turned a museum piece into a high-performance machine.
One thing people get wrong is thinking this area is "just for shopping." It’s actually a massive employment hub. The blocks surrounding 620 are packed with ad agencies, sound studios, and software companies. The building acts as the "lunchroom" for the neighborhood—people pop into the retail shops on their break or hit the nearby gyms and eateries. It’s a self-contained ecosystem.
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What You Should Do Next if You’re Heading There
If you’re visiting 620 Avenue of the Americas, don’t just walk into the TJ Maxx and call it a day. Take a second to stand on the corner of 18th and 6th and look up.
Look at the detail in the stone.
Look at the massive scale of the windows.
If you’re a business owner looking for space in NYC, understand that buildings like this are rare. Most modern offices feel like cardboard boxes. This place feels like a fortress. For those researching the history of the Ladies' Mile, 620 is your starting point. It represents the transition of New York from a port city to a global center of consumption and culture.
Next Steps for the Interested:
- Visit the Site: Check out the architecture from the west side of 6th Avenue to get the full scope of the facade.
- Research the Historic District: Look into the "Ladies' Mile" designation via the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) reports. It’ll give you the technical specs on why they can't change the windows or the exterior.
- Check Availability: If you’re looking for office space, keep an eye on RXR Realty’s listings for 620 Avenue of the Americas. Spaces here don't stay empty for long, and they often fetch a premium despite being over 130 years old.
- Observe the Flow: If you’re a student of urban planning, sit in the nearby Chelsea Triangle for 20 minutes and watch how people interact with the building. It’s a masterclass in how a single structure can dictate the energy of four different streets.
The real story of 620 Avenue of the Americas isn't just that it's a big building. It's that it managed to stay big in a city that usually tears down its history to build something smaller and more expensive. It’s a survivor. Whether you’re there for a pair of discounted shoes or a high-stakes board meeting, you’re standing in a piece of the engine that built New York.