What we know about the Macy’s closing in Center City

When spring arrives in Philadelphia, the corner of 13th and Market Streets will look a whole lot different.

In March, the Macy’s that has occupied the historic Wanamaker Building since 2006 is scheduled to close, capping a near-two-decade run in the space. News of the impending closure broke Thursday, with Macy’s announcing that the Center City space would be one of 66 planned closures nationwide.

Now, questions have emerged about what will happen to the iconic building, the holiday traditions and historic artifacts it has long housed, and where the store’s shuttering leaves employees and customers.

Here is what we know:

Closing the Center City Macy’s comes as part of a companywide plan that includes shuttering dozens of “underproductive” stores, chairman and chief executive officer Tony Spring said in a statement.

“Closing any store is never easy, but as part of our Bold New Chapter strategy, we are closing underproductive Macy’s stores to allow us to focus our resources,” Spring said.

Macy’s Exton Square Mall location will also close, but a number of other area stores — including ones in Northeast Philadelphia, King of Prussia, and Springfield — will remain open.

The impending Center City closure, policymakers told the Inquirer Thursday, did not reflect downtown Philly’s fate. Instead, they said, the closure was reflective of industry trends, calling it a “broad business decision.”

“This reflects a fundamental shift in the way people shop, rather than any Philadelphia-specific challenge,” said Prema Katari Gupta, president and CEO of Center City District. “It’s worth looking at the list of [Macy’s] closures. There’s no pattern.”

» READ MORE: Center City Macy’s, located in iconic Wanamaker Building, will close in March

In a notice sent to the Pennsylvania state government Friday, Macy’s said the closure of its Center City store would put 128 employees out of work. The job eliminations are set to take place between March 18 and March 31, the notice stated.

Filed in accordance with the Federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, the notice did not include figures for jobs to be lost at the Exton Macy’s. The WARN Act, as the law is known, requires employers to provide advance notice of plant closures and major layoffs.

The company indicated in its notice that employees would be given information about benefits, as well as possibly transferring to other Macy’s locations that remain open. The employees are not represented by a union, the company stated.

» READ MORE: Macy’s Center City closure will affect 128 employees

While the Center City Macy’s days are numbered, customers still have some time to do business at the store, according to an FAQ posted to the company’s website.

Clearance sales are slated to begin this month, and will run for eight to 12 weeks.

Returns, meanwhile, can be completed in Center City and Exton through Feb. 11, so long as the items were purchased before Monday, Jan. 13. Purchases made on or after Jan. 13 cannot be returned.

Gift cards will be accepted at the store until it closes, and may also be redeemed on the Macy’s website. Closing stores will no longer offer gift cards for sale after Saturday.

» READ MORE: What Macy’s customers should know about store closures in Center City and Exton

That remains unclear.

City officials on Thursday didn’t say what would happen to the annual holiday light show, or Dickens Village. TF Cornerstone, which owns the area of the building where Macy’s is located, could not be reached for comment.

As a result, public concern has cropped up for the holiday tradition, which launched in 1956 at the Wanamaker Building, when it housed a Wanamaker’s department store. In recent years, it has attracted more than 175,000 during the Christmas season.

» READ MORE: It’s not clear what will happen to the holiday light show when Macy’s closes

Daily organ concerts are slated to continue through mid March, but after that, the future remains uncertain.

Known as the Wanamaker Grand Court Organ, the massive instrument has been in Philadelphia for well over a century, and dates back to the 1904 St. Louis World’s Fair. It is physically constructed into the Wanamaker Building, with parts on five of its floors.

The building itself, meanwhile, holds some protections from the Philadelphia Historical Commission. Its Grand Court, which includes both the organ and the building’s iconic eagle statue, is one of only five interiors in the city that have such protections.

Despite that, the organ’s permanent presence in the building is not guaranteed. Any changes or removal would only require approval.

» READ MORE: The future of the historically important Wanamaker organ is uncertain with Macy’s closure looming

TF Cornerstone has said that following the closure of Macy’s, a “transformation” at the Wanamaker Building will begin.

“When Macy’s closes in the spring, TFC plans to begin the transformation of the 114-year-old landmark from retail and predominantly vacant office space into a mixed-use anchor for Center City, with new entertainment and fitness outlets, shopping, office, and loft apartments all under one roof,” the company said in an unsigned statement.

» READ MORE: Here’s what is (probably) coming next for the Wanamaker building

The company has owned the portion of the building that contains Macy’s since 2019, and bought the debt for the structure’s office portion last year. It is now in negotiations to purchase the entire building with Rubenstein Partners, and has been consulting with the city about future plans.

Specific plans, however, have not been shared publicly. But, The Inquirer previously reported, the company has described a rough outline with city officials that may include three or four floors of office space, as well as apartments, and a division of the area now housing Macy’s to bring in multiple smaller stores.

On Thursday, city commerce director Alba Martinez said TF Cornerstone assured her that the building’s historic legacy would be protected.

“The Wanamaker building is one of Philadelphia’s crown jewels, an architectural and cultural landmark that holds enormous potential for the future,” Martinez said. “We envision a mix of possible uses, retail, dining, residential, cultural attractions and more.”