Apple's iconic glass cube in New York will re-open this year

Chris Hondros/Getty

• Apple's flagship New York store will reopen in the first half of this year, the CEO of Boston Properties, which owns the location, said.
• The store is often called the "cube" because the entrance is a clear glass cube.
• The location closed in January 2017, and Apple is currently occupying a nearby store.

Apple's flagship New York retail store will reopen this year after over two years in a temporary location.

Apple's 5th Avenue store is sometimes called "the cube" because of its striking architecture. The entire store is underground; you enter through a glass cube staircase comprised of only a few panes of glass. When the store was open, it was a tourist attraction.

But the cube closed in January 2017, and Apple has been using a more traditional retail space nearby while renovations are done. John Powers, CEO of Boston Properties, which Apple leases the location from, said on Thursday that it will reopen "sometime in the first half of this year."

"We are working very hard with Apple on the Apple Store, and we don't have a date, but certainly that date will be sometime in the first half of this year," Powers said.

Under Armour wants to take the space that Apple is currently using as its temporary store.

"And we are working also with Under Armour because Apple is the temp store now and wants to stay there and we work things with Under Armour. So that will work for them although the Under Armour still will be delayed, resulting as the result of the Apple staying in the temp store," Powers continued.

During an iPhone launch event in 2017, Apple's head of retail Angela Ahrendts said that the glass cube would open late in 2018.

Apple has been redesigning and refurbishing its older retail stores with a new design language, including a "Genius Grove" with potted trees replacing the previous "Genius Bar" where customers can get their iPhones and other products fixed.

Another emphasis in the new stores is a series of classes called "Today at Apple." Last week, Apple announced 50 new classes in its stores, including "Beat Making with Swizz Beatz" and a "Health and Fitness Walk."

Here's what the 5th Avenue location should look like when it's done:

Apple

Here's what it looked like when the original version opened in 2006:

Getty

Apple didn't respond to a request for comment.