The most intriguing post-modern art exhibit in town is self-destructing in open view — between Church and Temple Streets between Crown and George. Is it a commentary on New Haven’s retail past, or its downtown future?
The block-long display of rubble, twisted metal and rusted beams is the detritus of the old Macy’s Department Store. Empty for almost a decade and a half, neglected even before that by its corporate owner, the building is coming down to make way for a new kind of downtown anchor: the new Gateway Community College campus. The shift reflects the abandonment of one downtown vision — department stores and malls that now sit more comfortably in suburbs — for another: schools, apartments and condos, galleries and theaters, ethnic restaurants and specialty stores unique to a university city.
Hurry down: By the time you make it to the outdoor “gallery” hosting the Disappearing Department Store exhibit, this remnant of the frame…
… may have already joined this pile of rubble. Admission’s free. Just watch out for speeding cars. And good luck finding a parking space.
Have a favorite Macy’s memory? Post it below. Mine is buying my wedding suit in the men’s department. It cost $100. (The year was 1983.) Actually, the men’s department was its own standalone store, facing Temple. It survived the wrecking ball. Still, on Monday afternoon, I could have sworn that these leg-like forms hanging from the rafters came from the same rack.
Hanging out with my Aunt in the women's department where she worked at the time.
I felt like V.I.P.