Saks Fifth Avenue, ca. 1953.

Designed by architects Ernest Alan Van Vleck and Goldwin Starrett, the Saks Fifth Avenue building was the first major department store in NYC to be designated a landmark. When Saks opened in the building 1924, an article in The New York Times said the store was ''the most modern and up-to- date building of its kind in the world,'' and that it marked ''the opening of a new shopping centre on upper Fifth Avenue.''

Saks Fifth Avenue was also one of the first flagship stores to conduct unveiling events for window displays. Using hydraulic lifts, the festive decorations were constructed in a sub-basement out of public view. Once ready, the displays were raised to street-level overnight for a dramatic unveiling.