Amazon may lease Lord & Taylor building from WeWork as potential NYC office space, report says
Months after it scrapped its plans to build a second headquarters in New York City, Amazon is eyeing several places for its new office space in Manhattan.
Jeff Bezos’ e-commerce company is in talks with WeWork to possibly occupy the building that once served as Lord & Taylor’s flagship store, The Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. Amazon is considering leasing the entire 12-story building, which takes up an entire block on Fifth Avenue between West 38th and 39th streets, sources told the newspaper.
Several thousand Amazon employees could occupy the building if WeWork agrees to lease the place out to the e-commerce giant. Amazon is reportedly also looking into the option of taking only a section of the building.
Amazon and WeWork spokespeople declined to comment to FOX Business when asked about the Journal report on Thursday.
The Fifth Avenue building served as Lord & Taylor’s flagship store for 104 years before it closed its doors in January. WeWork bought the building for more than $850 million.
The now-WeWork-owned building isn’t the only place Amazon is considering for a New York City office space. Sources told the Journal that Amazon executives are also looking at the James Farley Post Office in midtown Manhattan, which is being renovated to include a train hall and office space.
Amazon was sent back to the drawing board when it canceled its plans to open a second headquarters in Long Island City, Queens. The company announced in November 2018 it selected New York City and northern Virginia as the locations for its new headquarters. It said the planned 8-million-square-feet HQ2 in Queens will bring 25,000 full-time high-paying jobs and an estimated $2.5 billion in Amazon investment.
The announcement drew cheers and fierce opposition from New Yorkers and politicians — most notably New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. By early February, reports emerged that Amazon was reconsidering its New York City plans, with the company making the official statement on Feb. 14.
"After much thought and deliberation, we’ve decided not to move forward with our plans to build a headquarters for Amazon in Long Island City, Queens," the Seattle-based company said in the release at the time.
The company said it was “disappointed” it was scrapping its plan when majority of New Yorkers supported the proposed HQ.
"For Amazon, the commitment to build a new headquarters requires positive, collaborative relationships with state and local elected officials who will be supportive over the long-term,” the statement read. “While polls show that 70 percent of New Yorkers support our plans and investment, a number of state and local politicians have made it clear that they oppose our presence and will not work with us to build the type of relationships that are required to go forward with the project we and many others envisioned in Long Island City.”
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Amazon said it will continue expanding its New York team despite the setback.
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