Million Dollar Corner, Real estate holdout at Herald Square, Manhattan, US
Million Dollar Corner is a five-story building at the intersection of Broadway and 34th Street in Herald Square, standing directly beside Macy's flagship store. The structure now generates income through large-scale advertising displays that occupy its street-facing walls.
In December 1911, Robert H. Smith purchased the building for one million dollars to prevent Macy's from expanding across the entire block. This exceptionally high price reflected how much value the major retailer placed on controlling the full corner location.
The building reflects how individual determination can shape a city's development against corporate interests. Visitors see a small structure that refused to disappear despite pressure from one of America's largest retailers.
The building sits at one of Manhattan's busiest intersections and is easily accessible on foot from Herald Square subway station. Step back from the immediate corner to see how the smaller structure relates to the much larger Macy's building beside it.
The building earned its name from the one million dollar purchase price in 1911, a sum that was extraordinary for that era. This story made the corner famous and demonstrated how an individual could take a stand against a major corporation.
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