Macy's is closing its store in Center City, the 'end of an era' in Philly retail

Macy’s will close its Center City location in the historic Wanamaker Building, the company announced Thursday afternoon, as part of a wave of 66 store closures across the country.

Macy’s workers were informed that the iconic location, which housed John Wanamaker’s flagship department store for much of the past 115 years, would be shuttered in March.

“It has been more than just a department store, it has been a beloved part of our city’s cultural fabric,” said Alba Martinez, Philadelphia’s commerce director. “For over a century, this location has been a cornerstone of our city’s identity and its closing represents a profound change.”

The departure of Macy’s throws into question the fate of the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ, an enormous, historically significant instrument whose daily concerts are both a part of the daily shopping experience and a special draw in their own right.

When will the public be able to hear the organ played again after Macy's is closed?

“It’s one of the most important four or five organs in the world,” said Ray Biswanger, executive director of the Friends of the Wanamaker Organ, which oversees the instrument. “People make pilgrimages to it as with no other pipe organ because of its rich sound and incredible beauty.”

David Miro’s relationship with the Center City Macy’s has been relatively short but consequential.

Miro arrived from Syria in 2023. As he learned English, Macy’s and other retail stores became places where he could practice by having interactions with employees, and the prices made it affordable for him to also get dressed in the process.

But, more than for shopping and practicing, it was the building architecture that kept him coming back to Macy’s 

Patrick Clancy, the president and CEO of Philadelphia Works, said the city would help Macy’s workers impacted by the company’s decision to close its Center City location.

“We will be reaching out to the management of Macy's, setting up meetings with employees and hoping to transition, maybe not into just retail opportunities, but also into city opportunities,” Clancy said at a news conference Thursday afternoon.

Clancy pointed to a new workforce initiative launched in October to train community college students for city jobs.

Alba Martinez, Philadelphia’s director of commerce, called Macy’s decision to close its Center City location the “end of an era” in Philadelphia.

In a news conference Thursday afternoon, Martinez said the city was informed of the closure Thursday morning, calling it “sad news for many Philadelphians.” But she also cast the decision as an opportunity to continue the revitalization efforts along Market Street.

“While this marks the end of an era for Philadelphia's retail landscape ,it also signals the beginning of a new chapter,” Martinez said, “one filled with economic opportunity in our evolving real estate market and the promise of revitalization for Market East and Center City as a whole.”

The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, a non-profit advocacy organization, said in a statement that it was acknowledging the expected closing of Macy's in the historic Wanamaker Building "with a deep sense of loss."

The organization said the closure "marks the end of an era for a historic site that has been a cornerstone of Center City’s identity for generations."

The alliance continued its statement: "Despite this moment of change, we are confident in the Wanamaker Building’s future as a cherished landmark. The Grand Court, its crown jewel, is fully protected from demolition and inappropriate alteration by its 2017 designation on the Philadelphia Register of Historic Places. Iconic features like the seven-story atrium, marble arcades, gilded colonnades, the Wanamaker Eagle, and the visible components of the world’s largest functioning pipe organ are safeguarded, ensuring the space’s continued role as a civic and cultural centerpiece.

Tears filled Kathlyn Neary's eyes upon hearing about Macy’s upcoming departure from Market Street.

For the 74-year-old, this location feels more like a local store than a branch of a major retailer.

“It feels like home, like a city anchor that brings life to Center City,” Neary said, emphasizing that she has been coming at least twice a week to the store for decades.

Don’t expect an extreme makeover for the Wanamaker Building, its massive eagle statue, or organ, once the world’s largest of its kind.

The Wanamaker Building holds rare protections from the Philadelphia Historical Commission. Most historic buildings only have protections for their facades, but the Wanamaker Grand Court, including its iconic eagle statue and organ, is one of only five interiors that are protected in Philadelphia.

The others include 30th Street Station, City Council chambers at City Hall, public spaces in the Family Court building, and the main floor of Jacob Reed’s Sons’ store.

B Coleman (she goes by B for her first name), 70, said still remembers the heartbreak of parting ways with Wanamaker's. She never expected to experience that feeling again, at the same location.

The Center City resident had heard Macy’s was closing stores nationwide and had periodically checked to make sure the Market Street location wasn’t on the list, she said.

As an older customer she prefers to shop in person, she said. Macy’s was her go-to for shoes and perfumes.

Joan Beliah, 55, has commuted from Wilmington to Philly just to shop at the Macy’s Backstage section since she moved from Canada in 2023.

“They always have discounts on clothing and I always find what I needed and it's so affordable here rather than it is over in Wilmington,” Beliah said.

To see Macy’s parting ways with Philly feels like a heartbreak, Beliah said. But she isn’t shocked.

Macy’s will close its Center City location in the historic Wanamaker Building, according to two employees who were at a meeting where the announcement was made this morning and a City Hall official.

Lamara Major, a counter manager at Macy’s, says she and about 15 other employees were pulled into a staff meeting early this morning where her bosses announced the store’s closure. “Everything happened too fast,” she said. “We don’t even know yet when they are closing, but we know it is sometime in March.”

Morgan Lytle, a 19-year-old beauty consultant at Macy’s, missed this morning’s meeting, but says her manager informed her of the closure when she arrived for work. She says she “saw it coming,” calling the retailer “a pretty dead store.”

The closure of Macy’s is the latest turn of events for a Philadelphia institution.

The massive granite and limestone edifice that is now Macy’s, and previously was home to Lord & Taylor, Strawbridge’s (for a few months) and Hecht’s, was built as a department store by prominent city merchant John Wanamaker and was dedicated in 1911 by then-President William H. Taft.

The building was designed by Chicago architect Daniel H. Burnham is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.