Walk down the intersection of Wanamaker Place and Broadway, and you’ll feel it. It is that specific, heavy-set energy of Old New York slamming headfirst into the digital age. 770 Broadway New York NY 10003 isn’t just a coordinates point on a GPS or a line on a tax map. It is a massive, full-block limestone beast that has survived the collapse of department store empires and the rise of the metaverse.
Most people just see a big building with a subway entrance.
They’re missing the point.
Honestly, the scale of the place is disorienting if you’re used to the skinny glass towers popping up in Midtown. We are talking about 1.2 million square feet of space. It’s a fortress. Originally, this was the annex for Wanamaker’s department store, built back when shopping was a grand, theatrical production involving pipe organs and marble floors. Today? It’s arguably one of the most concentrated hubs of tech and media power in Manhattan.
The Weird Architectural DNA of 770 Broadway
You’ve got to appreciate the audacity of Daniel Burnham. He’s the architect who designed this thing between 1903 and 1907. If that name sounds familiar, it’s because he’s the same guy behind the Flatiron Building. But while the Flatiron is all about grace and that iconic "prow" shape, 770 Broadway New York NY 10003 is about pure, unadulterated bulk.
It was built to handle weight. Thousands of people. Tons of merchandise.
The building occupies the entire block between 8th and 9th Streets and Broadway and Fourth Avenue. Because it was designed as a retail cathedral, the ceilings are high—really high. This is exactly why tech companies lost their minds over it in the early 2010s. When you’re trying to build a "campus" in the middle of a crowded island, you need those massive floor plates. We’re talking about floors that are roughly 76,000 square feet each. In most NYC office buildings, you’re lucky to get 20,000.
Vornado Realty Trust, the guys who own it, have basically turned this into a gold mine by leaning into that industrial-chic aesthetic. They didn't polish away the history; they just added better HVAC and faster internet.
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Who Actually Works at 770 Broadway New York NY 10003?
If you want to know who runs the world, or at least your social media feed, look at the directory.
Meta (formerly Facebook) is the 800-pound gorilla here. They’ve occupied a massive chunk of this building for years. It’s funny, really. A building designed for people to buy corsets and carriage whips is now the place where algorithms decide which memes you see. Meta has expanded here multiple times, taking up hundreds of thousands of square feet.
But they aren't alone.
- J.Crew has had a major presence here, keeping that fashion connection to the building’s retail roots alive.
- Yahoo (and its various corporate iterations under Apollo and Verizon) has been a long-term tenant.
- Wegmans—and this is the big one for locals—finally moved into the ground floor and basement.
That Wegmans opening was a genuine "event" for the neighborhood. For years, that space was an Kmart. It was a weird, slightly depressing Kmart that felt like a relic of the 1990s. When it finally closed, people wondered if the "big box" era at 770 Broadway New York NY 10003 was over.
Nope. Wegmans just made it upscale.
They kept the "Wanamaker" spirit but replaced the cheap plastic bins with a high-end fish market and a sushi bar. It’s a 82,000-square-foot grocery store in the middle of Greenwich Village. That’s unheard of. It’s become the heartbeat of the building again, drawing in foot traffic that isn't just tech workers with lanyards.
The Ghost of Wanamaker’s
You can’t talk about this address without acknowledging the retail ghost. John Wanamaker was a pioneer. He basically invented the price tag. Before him, you had to haggle for everything. He also put a massive pipe organ in the store—the largest in the world at the time—which eventually moved to Philadelphia.
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The building at 770 Broadway New York NY 10003 was actually the new building. There used to be an older one across the street, connected by a bridge. In 1956, that older building burned down in a fire so hot it nearly took out the subway line. The "New" Wanamaker building (770) survived.
When you walk through the lobby today, you’re walking through a space that was meant to handle the logistics of a pre-Amazon world. It’s sturdy. It’s permanent.
Why the Location is Actually a Nightmare (and a Dream)
Let's be real for a second. If you’re trying to drive to 770 Broadway New York NY 10003, you’ve already made a mistake.
Traffic at the Astor Place/8th Street corridor is a mess. It’s a weird convergence of avenues and one-way streets that confuses even seasoned Uber drivers. But for public transit? It’s unbeatable. The 6 train literally stops at the basement door (Astor Place station). The N, R, and W are a block away at 8th Street.
This accessibility is why the building stays 100% leased while other Midtown towers are struggling with 20% vacancy rates. Employees actually want to go there because they can get a coffee at a local cafe, hit the Strand Bookstore two blocks away, and then jump on the subway without ever getting rained on.
The Real Estate Reality Check
Is it expensive? Obviously.
Vornado doesn't let space here go for cheap. But it’s not just about the rent per square foot. It’s about the "cool factor" that actually helps these companies recruit talent. Engineers at Meta or designers at J.Crew don't want to work in a sterile glass box in Hudson Yards. They want to work in a place that feels like New York.
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The building has also seen some drama. During the 2023 tech layoffs, everyone was looking at 770 Broadway New York NY 10003 to see if Meta would dump their space. They didn't. They kept it. In fact, they’ve consolidated more of their New York footprint into these older, character-rich buildings rather than the shiny new ones. That says a lot about the enduring value of historic architecture in the modern economy.
Things to Note if You’re Visiting
Don't expect to just wander into the Meta offices. The security is tighter than a drum. However, you can experience the architecture through the public-facing areas.
- The Wegmans Entrance: Go inside just to see how they’ve integrated a modern supermarket into a landmarked shell. The "Astor" seafood bar inside is actually pretty great.
- The Subway Connection: Take the 6 train to Astor Place. Look at the terra cotta "Beaver" tiles on the station walls, then realize you are standing directly under one of the world's most powerful data hubs.
- The View from Outside: Stand on the corner of 4th Ave and 9th St. Look up. The sheer mass of the cornice is terrifying and beautiful.
What’s Next for the Block?
The neighborhood is changing again. With the "Death of Office" narrative being pushed everywhere, 770 Broadway New York NY 10003 is the counter-argument. It’s thriving because it’s mixed-use in the most organic way. You have groceries, subway access, high-end offices, and world-class retail all in one pile of stone.
If you are a business owner looking at the area, or a real estate nerd, the takeaway is simple: scale plus history plus transit equals invincibility.
Actionable Insights for Navigating 770 Broadway:
- Commuter Hack: Use the 8th Street-NYU (N/R/W) stop if the 6 is delayed; it's a shorter walk than it looks on the map.
- Lunch Strategy: Avoid the immediate block during the 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM rush. The Meta and Yahoo crowds swarm the local Sweetgreen and Dig Inn. Head two blocks south toward Bond Street for quieter spots.
- Networking: The "vibe" of the area is professional but creative. If you’re meeting someone here, business casual is the ceiling. A suit will make you look like you’re lost on your way to Wall Street.
- Deliveries: If you're sending something to a tenant here, specify the floor and the "Wanamaker" entrance. Courier drivers often get looped around the one-way streets on 4th Ave and lose 20 minutes just circling the block.
The building isn't going anywhere. It’s seen the end of the department store, the birth of the internet, and the rise of remote work. It just keeps standing there, taking up its full block, waiting for the next era of New York history to happen inside its walls.