On September 15, 1924, Saks Fifth Avenue opened its flagship store on Fifth Avenue between 49th and 50th Streets, adding a major new destination to Manhattan’s growing Midtown shopping district. Founded by retail partners Horace Saks and Bernard Gimbel, the store was designed to offer an elevated department-store experience, combining a broad selection of luxury merchandise with refined interiors and attentive personal service. Its location, across from St. Patrick’s Cathedral, helped make it one of Fifth Avenue’s most recognizable retail landmarks.
The opening attracted considerable public and press attention, reflecting the growing importance of Fifth Avenue as a center for fashion, prestige retail, and social life. Saks offered designer fashions, elaborate displays, and services intended to appeal to affluent customers seeking the selection of a large department store without sacrificing a sense of exclusivity.
Saks Fifth Avenue’s arrival also formed part of a larger transformation in New York retail. During the early twentieth century, prominent stores and fashion businesses increasingly moved north from Lower Manhattan toward Midtown and the upper stretches of Fifth Avenue. The new flagship reinforced that shift and helped establish the avenue as an internationally recognized destination for luxury shopping.
Over time, the store became an enduring symbol of American luxury retail. Its model—large-scale merchandising presented through an upscale, boutique-like atmosphere—would influence department-store design, fashion marketing, and the broader culture of aspirational shopping for decades.
Image: Early architectural proposal drawing for the Saks Fifth Avenue flagship, via Wikimedia Commons (public domain).
