New Starbucks Reserve store in NYC brings landmark coffee experience to Empire State Building

NEW YORK – It is the “Most Famous Building in the World.” In the 1933 film, King Kong swatted at passing planes from this landmark, which has been an indelible part of New York’s skyline for nearly a century. In the film “Elf,” Buddy visits his father’s office there. In the film “Sleepless in Seattle,” Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks find each other.

The Empire State Building is perhaps the most iconic symbol of New York. Each year, millions of visitors take the elevator up to the renowned observation decks.

Since 2008, when its first store in the Empire State Building opened, Starbucks has been a part of this history. It began as a café on 34th Street and later evolved with new innovative concepts, including one of the first express stores, a delivery pilot in 2015, and one of the first mobile order and pickup locations in 2018. The new Starbucks Reserve® Empire State Building® store pays homage to the heritage of the Empire State Building and Starbucks history in New York with an extraordinary one-of-a-kind coffee destination that spans three floors and 23,000 square feet.

The Starbucks Reserve® Empire State Building® store appears to have been there since the beginning from the Fifth Avenue sidewalk. You won’t see that familiar green Siren logo, but an Art Deco façade with the words “Starbucks Reserve” crafted in vintage aluminum lettering (it’s actually a custom font approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission). The Starbucks design team collaborated with Empire State Realty Trust (the building’s owner) to restore the store’s facade to building standards, which included reclaiming the second-floor windows and reconstructing the decorative mullions and finials. Starbucks consulted with Beyer Blinder Belle Architects, the Empire State Building’s historic landmark preservation consultant, on building exterior details to ensure compliance with landmarks preservation guidelines.

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