By Harvey G. Stack, Senior Numismatic Consultant
Since the opening by the senior Stack brothers, Joseph and Morton, of their coin shop in New York in 1933, the company has always had a street front shop in a popular upscale location in New York City. Our present location, which the Stack family moved to in 1953, is very much like it was then. We are located at 123 West 57th Street (a wonderful walking street!) within a few feet of Carnegie Hall and Steinway Hall in the lower part of the Hotel Salisbury.
About every decade the shop went through a major refurbishing, to keep the ambiance the same but adding new carpets, lighting, and air conditioning, and updating seating areas for visiting collectors. It has over the last 60 years retained its landmark status in the exciting environment of New York.
About a month ago I wrote about the shop and that it was about to be refurbished again. For those of you who have visited the shop, you will remember it was over 100 feet deep from the street, having a classy showroom in the front, and vaults and office staff occupying the rear. Now that the alteration is in progress I feel I should report on the "work in progress"
There is a beautiful bronze door entry on 57th Street leading into the shop. About half way back in the store is another entranceway into the shop from the lobby of the Hotel Salisbury. Presently a partition has been installed about half way down the length of the shop and the demolition and rebuilding of the back office section is in progress.
All the electric wires were removed, including the security system (with temporary Installations), while the work is being done. The ceilings were removed, provisions for air conditioning, lighting and new wiring were installed. The walls have been leveled, some of the old safe cabinets removed, and all new communication wiring re-installed,The large walk-in vault in the rear and the special private office are being redone. All these improvements are nearing completion and in a few weeks, this portion of the shop will be ready for use.
While this is going on, the showroom is still open to the public, and our staff is actively conducting business. Except for the partition, the shop is still an inviting place to visit.
As soon as the renovations are complete in the back, the "shop operations" will be shifted to the rear portion of the premises. Visitors will be able to come through the lobby of the Hotel Salisbury and walk through our side entrance to be served. The renovations have been planned in such a way that store operations will continue without interruption. When completed it will be a wonderful place again to visit, buy and sell your coins, make contact about auction sales and find answers to the questions that visitors always ask.
As we make more progress I will report again about this refurbishing, which is designed to make your visit to the "coin shop on 57th Street" even more enjoyable.
Please remember, while all this is going on, Stack’s Bowers is always there to serve you!
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