I’m a fan NYC history and recently I had the chance to go inside it. Look west on 32nd street from most points in Manhattan and you’ll notice an art deco bridge (traverse) spanning the gap between two buildings. Once upon a time, the building on it’s north side was Gimbels, one of the famous (and first) department stores from back in the glory days of such places. The building now is home to the Manhattan Mall in the basement and first few floors. Several advertising agencies belonging to Interpublic Group are also in the building as well as some clothing brands’ corporate offices.

Through a friend, I was able to gain access to this mostly untouched landmark. Other than the occasional maintenance inspection, it’s empty and completely safe.

I first send the photos to The Bowery Boys, a local NYC history podcast. I’m a fan of the show and if you have an interest in NYC history from department stores, to Carnegie Hall, subsribe to it today. They publish about once a month sometimes more. They were kind enough to post the photos to their website on June 18th. Jen Carlson at Gothamist saw their post and asked me for permission to use them in an article of her own on June 23rd.