Herald Square could soon be staring back at you. A Midtown Manhattan landlord is pushing to hang a four-story digital billboard off the Herald Center, a massive LED face that would loom over the block near Macy's and blow up the building's ad presence, all while testing the limits of New York City's aging sign rules.
What the landlord wants
JEMB Realty has filed plans for a roughly 2,300-square-foot, four-story LED sign on the nine-floor Herald Center that would rise about 100 feet above the sidewalk, according to Crain's New York Business. The filing describes the huge digital display as a retail amenity for Herald Square, and JEMB principal Louis Jerome told Crain's the move "would enhance the existing commercial vitality of the area." The application simply kicks off the city review process, so there is no guarantee the sign actually gets built.
Herald Center's retail muscle
The Herald Center has long served as a retail anchor at the corner of Broadway and West 34th Street and underwent a substantial renovation in 2015, according to JEMB Realty. The landlord has repositioned the property for major flagships and a sizable retail footprint, which helps explain the appetite for a high-impact digital marquee. Recent leasing and financing moves suggest JEMB is intent on squeezing as much visibility and rent out of the site as the rules will allow.
A clash with older sign rules
Those rules are the catch. Zoning and sign restrictions on that side of the building generally cap advertising at roughly 500 square feet and limit sign heights to about 40 feet, and the city's sign regulations date back decades, Crain's New York Business reported. That gap between what the code allows and what JEMB wants means the landlord will likely need sign registration and variances or other approvals before any new digital face can go up. The Department of Buildings' sign-enforcement unit is responsible for registration and review of non-conforming signage, according to the New York City Department of Buildings.
Big money in big displays
Large LED facades in Midtown can command very high rents, with industry pricing guides estimating that full-takeover digital billboards can cost hundreds of thousands to several million dollars a month, depending on size and exclusivity, according to a market guide. That kind of commercial upside is exactly why owners keep pushing for Times Square-scale screens even in neighborhoods where the rules are far tighter.
Fresh leasing activity adds context
JEMB's recent leasing and financing around the Herald Center suggest the landlord is busy re-tooling the block to lure national retailers and big-spending shoppers. Commercial Observer and other trade reports detail efforts to bring in large retailers, a strategy that would pair neatly with splashy exterior digital advertising.
What comes next
For now, the next steps are strictly procedural. The Department of Buildings will review JEMB's filing, and any bid to treat the proposed display as non-conforming advertising would likely trigger a trip to the Board of Standards and Appeals and a round of public comment. DOB forms spell out how owners request permits or variances, and community boards typically weigh in on highly visible changes. Those processes will ultimately decide whether a four-story digital face ever lights up over Herald Square.
