NEW YORK, NY—And it ended 10 weeks later with a 14,000 pound New York subway installed as the centerpiece of the new 4,890 square foot ASICS flagship—located in the Shawmut-built Cubes at 120 West 42^nd Street.

Shawmut partnered with ASICS, Mapos LLC, and Sawicki and Tarella Architects to renovate the 4,890 square foot retail space in just 10 weeks. All in-house engineering, consulting and expediting was performed with a dynamite project team including Director Jim Scarpone, Project Executive David Margolius, Project Manager Robert Clemens, and Superintendent Robert Marshall. The team worked alongside Edwards & Zuck, Robert Anderson, and Gilsanz Murray Steficek.

So where do you find an authentic New York subway car? Turns out in a junkyard in the Mojave Desert. Measuring 35 feet long, 10 feet wide, 9 feet tall, the subway car was brought to LA where it was refurbished and restored to look like it would have in 1976—graffiti and all. The one-of-its-kind car was transported cross-country on a flatbed truck covered by giant tarp to keep it a secret. If anyone asked what was beneath the tarp, the driver said “a grain silo.”

It only took 3 hours, two fork lifts, a crew of 20 people, and closing 42^nd Street (twice!), but the project team, utilizing the logistical expertise they gained with helicopter lift protocol, was able to move the 7-ton subway car into the retail space where it sits ready to be enjoyed by ASICS customers—and subway fans for years to come.