Neighborhood Profile: Garment Center
The Garment Center is one of the three original neighborhoods launched on OfficeDragon, along with Midtown South and Flatiron. The furthest north of the three, the Garment Center ranges from 34th street to 42nd street between 5th and 9th avenues. It is bordered to the north and east by major class A office districts Midtown, Midtown East and Murray Hill, while to the south and west the older brownstones of Midtown South, the Lincoln Tunnel, and Chelsea surround the Garment District. It is one of the smaller geographic neighborhoods of Manhattan, but is practically in the dead center of Midtown and Midtown South. Penn Station, Herald Square, Times Square and Bryant Park are four major landmarks which exist in or on the border of the Garment Center. In addition Grand Central is only an avenue away at 42nd and Park from the northeast corner of the Garment Center at 42nd street and 5th avenue.
The Garment Center is one of the more historically rooted areas of Manhattan and once played an integral part in the global fashion industry. The neighborhood is home to the majority of New York City’s fashion showrooms and at one point accounted for most of its fashion related design and manufacturing as well. In addition the Garment Center was once known as the home of all textiles manufacturing prior to the decline of the industry in America. Cheaper oversees labor has since seen the decline of manufacturing in New York, but the Garment District still remains home to major fashion designers showrooms and corporate offices including Calvin Klein, Nichole Miller and Liz Claiborne.
Commercial buildings in the Garment Center are similar to those in Midtown South just below. Ten to twelve story pre war brownstones dominate the scenery and line the blocks up and down between the avenues. Further north along 6th and 7th avenues and Broadway can find modern office towers and luxury class A space, but it is not the norm of the neighborhood. 7th Avenue, given the moniker Fashion Avenue because of the Garment Center, is the main north south artery of the area, while 6th avenue and Broadway also play major roles.
The Garment Center is truly a very convenient location for getting almost anywhere in Manhattan, Long Island, or New Jersey. Penn Station and Grand Central are both within ten minutes walking distance and feature Long Island Railroad, Metro North and New Jersey transit trains to the outer commuter counties of New York. The 7 train, running cross town on 42nd street, offers cross town connections and express service into Queens while the A,C,E 1,2,3, B,D,F,V and N,Q,R,W trains run down 8th Ave, 7th Ave, 6th Ave and Broadway respectively. Sights like Madison Square Garden or the Empire State Building are readily available as well within the Garment Center’s boundaries.
Adams & Co., and Kaufman Management both play big roles in Garment Center leasing as well as top notch brokers First Service Williams, CB Richard Ellis, and Newmark Knight Frank.