Owners Demolishing Frank Lloyd Wright-Designed Mercedes-Benz Showroom
By Al Barbarino April 8, 2013 2:45 pm
reprintsFollowing Mercedes-Benz’s departure in January from the showroom it occupied at 430 Park Avenue since the late 1950’s, ownership is demolishing the space, The Commercial Observer has learned.
The demolition began last week following the luxury car dealer’s departure on January 7, when it consolidated its operations at its national headquarters at 770 Eleventh Avenue, sources confirmed, including Roque Toribio, a security guard at the Park Avenue location who was not authorized to give The Commercial Observer a peek at the space.
It was one of the few commercial spaces in Manhattan designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the master architect behind the Guggenheim Museum, who designed the space in the early 1950s for the European car importer Max Hoffman.
The floor of the space featured a circular track that allowed cars to be parked on a rotating display. Despite the leasing challenge that the space presented, its demolition comes after earlier reports that a replacement auto dealership might be sought.
The Mercedes headquarters on Eleventh Avenue was built roughly two years ago and is located across the street from numerous other car showrooms, including Ford, Mazda, Lincoln, Volvo, Jaguar, Range Rover and Land Rover.
A front desk attendant confirmed the company’s departure from the Park Avenue space, which it had leased from owner Midwood Properties, and the consolidation at the headquarters, which Mercedes owns.
The Park Avenue location is headquarters to The Boston Consulting Group and soon will feature TD Ameritrade as a tenant in a separate corner retail space, according to a sign on the façade. Meanwhile, the remnants of the Mercedes insignia can still be made out on a silver slab that sits atop the now shuttered showroom.
Marc Finkel, a managing director at RKF who is leading the leasing efforts, did not immediately return calls seeking comment on the status of the space and the marketing efforts.
