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Concept
Toy Center
Summary
The Toy Center, also known as the International Toy Center, is a complex of buildings in the Flatiron District of Manhattan, New York City, that for many years was a hub for toy manufacturers and distributors in the United States. It consists of two buildings located between 23rd Street and 25th Street across from Madison Square, where Fifth Avenue and Broadway cross. The American International Toy Fair, the industry's major annual trade show, is held annually in February at both the Toy Center and the Javits Center on 34th Street. The building also serves as the corporate headquarters of luxury retailer Tiffany and Co.
The original building, at 200 Fifth Avenue, was constructed on the site of what had been the Fifth Avenue Hotel, which was completed in 1859 and was demolished in 1908.
The 16-story building was completed in 1909 and was originally known as the Fifth Avenue Building, which name is on the landmark clock outside the front entrance, and the interlocked initials "F.A.B." were still in the building's elevators in 2003. The architect was Robert Maynicke. An ornate cast-iron sidewalk clock outside the main entrance, built by Hecla Iron Works in 1909, became a New York City designated landmark in 1981.
The building became a center for the toy industry during World War I, following restrictions on imports from the traditional European manufacturers. From 1910 to 1927 the Boy Scouts of America National Headquarters was located in the building.
A second 16-story building at 1107 Broadway was acquired in 1967, and a pedestrian bridge over 24th Street, connecting the two buildings at the ninth floor, was constructed the following year. Most of the industry's major companies had moved in by World War II, and building manager Helmsley-Spear restricted new leases exclusively to toy companies starting in the 1960s.
By 1981, the complex covered of leasable space, with its 600 tenants accounting for 95% of toy transactions in the United States that year, amounting to $4 billion.
Official source
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