Wanamaker’s eagle is a protected species – Macy’s closure raises questions about future of historic building

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Only five buildings in Philadelphia get the city’s historic protection for their interior. That includes places like City Council Chambers in City Hall and 30th Street Station. It also includes the Grand Court inside the Wanamaker Building.

Following Thursday’s announcement that Macy’s would close its Center City store, many questions have been raised about what will happen to the historic building.

But because of that interior protection, the more than 100-year-old Wanamaker Building has some unique protections.

The building is listed on the National Historic Register and the city’s own list of historic places.

Philadelphia Historical Commission spokesperson Bruce Bohri said the city protections extend beyond just the exterior of the building.

“When you walk into Macy’s or Wanamakers as it used to be, the eagle statue is the center fixture of this Grand Court on the floor and then when you look up the organ and the seven-story atrium is part of this Grand Court interior,” he said.

Because the interior is historically listed, that key area of the store cannot be changed without approval from the commission.

“Any changes that would require a construction permit have to be reviewed by the Philadelphia Historic Commission first,” Bohri said. “That means that they have to approve the changes before the changes can be made.”

Over the years, the commission has been conservative when allowing changes to historically certified buildings.

City Commerce Director Alba Martinez said the building owners know about the organ and the eagle and understand the sensitivity of nostalgic Philadelphians and other visitors to the city.

“When I spoke to the owner, he expressly said they love landmark buildings and they fell in love with the building because of its historic nature,” she said.

The building’s owner specifically spoke of the organ and eagle as assets “he recognizes are really, really important,” Martinez added.

City planning officials said they will be highly involved in the repurposing of the building and to assist in the redesign and adaptively reusing a very complex building.

Bohri said the potential conversion of the building from office and commercial use to residential will take lots of work because there are different natural light requirements for residential settings compared to an office. He said that will be considered during any discussions about how the building will be used.

There is also a federal historic place designation on the building. That will mean even more restrictions for re-use, especially if there are grants and loans needed by the developers for the conversion.

Parts of the old Wanamakers have already been preserved. The “Rocket Express,” a monorail that was suspended from the ceiling over the toy department is now on display at the Please Touch Museum in Fairmount Park. Although it no longer runs, kids can still sit in the seats and imagine what it was like to ride above the Wanamaker’s toy department in the late ‘40s and beyond.