8. Lord & Taylor’s Windows Sink to the Basement

The Fifth Avenue Lord & Taylor building is never as prominent as it is during Christmas time. It has one of the most impressive Christmas window displays in all of New York City, and possesses a special feature which makes that possible. The 102-year-old building retains a rare hydraulic system that enables the window displays to be raised from the basement to street-level on Fifth Avenue.

“It raises like a freight elevator; it was used for horse and buggies,” says Roe Palermo, divisional vice president of store visuals for Lord & Taylor.