A Fire At 510 Madison, Where Apple Won't Be Moving Anyway

Posted by: Arik Hesseldahl on February 11, 2009

I happened by the scene of a big fire yesterday. I was on the way to the dentist and had by chance gotten off at the wrong subway stop, and decided to walk the rest of the way. The blaze had been out for awhile, though you could still smell the smoke, and there were still firefighters no the scene. There was something familiar about the address…

It turns out, this three-alarm fire that started Monday night at 10:30 PM and wasn’t controlled until 2 AM Tuesday took place at 510 Madison Ave., according to this news report on The Real Deal. That’s the building under construction in Manhattan which Apple was at one time supposedly going to be a significant tenant.

In June you’ll recall, Silicon Alley Insider was tipped off to the fact that Apple had leased two floors in the building, which is located at the corner of 53rd St. and Madison Ave., just a short distance from its current corporate office at the Citicorp Center, and only four blocks from the flagship Fifth Ave. store.

From what I could see, the first five floors were severely damaged, (I snapped a few pictures with my phone.) suggesting that construction work has been set back and that anyone planning to move in will have to wait longer than originally planned.

No comment on the matter from Apple, which never confirmed any plans to move into the building in any event. But a source familiar with talks between the Apple and the building’s management told me this morning that Apple had never proceeded to close the lease deal. Real Estate Weekly reported in July that Apple had appeared to “back off” on a lease deal at 510, and has since been looking elsewhere, including 450 Park Avenue. No word on where Apple’s next Manhattan office will be. Word was in July, that Apple has to vacate Citicorp Center soon to make way for General Motors, but there has been so much trouble at GM since then, it wouldn’t surprise me to learn they’ve changed their plans. But if you’ve got a tip, let me know in the comments.

TrackBack URL for this entry: http://blogs.businessweek.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/