Work on the Lexington Avenue Line tunnel between 53rd and 67th Streets had been completed by early 1915, but it could not be opened for at least three years because a connection to the existing IRT at Grand Central–42nd Street was still under construction. In July 1915, the Public Service Commission received the rights to build a subway entrance for the IRT station at Lexington Avenue and 59th Street within the Bloomingdale's flagship store. Although the subway remained unopened, real-estate prices around Lexington Avenue and 59th Street had begun to increase by 1916.
The Lexington Avenue Line tunnel between 53rd and 67th Streets was finished in early 1915 but couldn't be opened for three years because a connection to the existing IRT at Grand Central–42nd Street was still under construction. In July 1915, the Public Service Commission got permission to build a subway entrance for the IRT station at Lexington Avenue and 59th Street inside Bloomingdale's flagship store. Even though the subway remained closed, real estate prices around Lexington Avenue and 59th Street started rising by 1916.