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Michaels Arts and Crafts Store To Open on Upper East Side, City Says

By Shaye Weaver | January 13, 2017 11:41am | Updated on January 16, 2017 8:32am
 A Michaels is planned for the storefront under the Queensboro Bridge at 59th Street and First Avenue, the city says.
A Michaels is planned for the storefront under the Queensboro Bridge at 59th Street and First Avenue, the city says.
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UPPER EAST SIDE — A Michaels arts and crafts store is slated to take over the former Food Emporium space under the Queensboro Bridge at East 59th Street, city officials said.

The city, which owns the landmarked property at 405-15 E. 59th St., has a new application before the Landmarks Preservation Commission to perform interior work, including door replacements, lighting work and signage installation, according to Economic Development Corporation spokeswoman Stephanie Baez.

On Jan. 24, the commission will discuss the application, which first will be presented to Community Board 8's landmarks committee on Tuesday, Jan. 17, for input.

The approvals and work will take anywhere from three to six months, Baez said.

Michaels currently has stores in all five boroughs, including two in Manhattan — on the Upper West Side and in the Flatiron District.

The company did not immediately return a request for comment Friday.

Originally built in 1908, the vaulted market space was created in leftover space under the Queensboro Bridge, which had wrapped up construction that year.

Architect Rafael Gustavino was tapped to create a tiled vault there, much like what you can still see today at Grand Central Terminal, the Hall of Fame in the Bronx, the Elephant House at the Bronx Zoo, the main hall at Ellis Island, and the open-air arcade at the Municipal Building in Manhattan, according to a 1996 New York Times article.

The Food Emporium occupied the space for 16 years until the company went bankrupt and closed its East 59th Street location on Nov. 21, 2015.