The U.S.’s largest department store retailer, Macy’s was established in 1858. Macy’s Corporate headquarters sits in the heart of downtown Cincinnati, Ohio’s urban core. Macy’s strives for green department stores with sustainable renovations and are built to consume less energy whenever possible. So, when part of corporate headquarters needed renovation, an environmentally friendly option only made sense for them.

The Macy’s Corporate Headquarters Habitat Roof is located on the 8th floor patio outside of the cafeteria, and is used by its employees. An American Hydrotech assembly was used on the rooftop patio with the planted portion being 16,000 sf including a 1,000 sf employee “Go Green” garden. Associates plant vegetables and herbs which the chef uses in the cafeteria. Compost from the cafeteria is also used in the garden.

Specific selection of plant material for butterflies and pollinators was carefully planned by Green City Resources along with seasonal progression of bloom or phenology to ensure there would be nectar and habitat all season. Many drought tolerant and native varieties were used: Black Eyed Susans, Purple Cone Flower, Allium, Yarrow, Coreopsis, Asclepia (butterfly weed), Baptisia, Purple Prairie clover, Agastache, Geum, Salvia, Nepeta, Sideoats Grama Grass, and Little Bluestem grass. All of these will provide some type of seed, nectar, or cover for birds, bees and butterflies. Beneficial adaptive plants were also used including Hakonecloa, Ferns, Hosta, Liriope, and assorted sedums. The three large bubble boulders provide a water source for the habitat, but are also being enjoyed by the employees who like to sit and listen to the water, providing a nice break from their work.

Since Ohio is on the Monarch migration route, the Macy’s Corporate Headquarters Habitat Roof is a registered Monarch Waystation, providing nectar for adults and host plants for larvae. The corporate headquarters roof is also a registered Wildlife Habitat; pipes, logs, rocks and a mason bee house provide cover and encourage nesting of urban wildlife. There were signs of wildlife before the roof was finished; Monarch butterflies, praying mantis, red admiral butterflies, bees, and several other species were observed. Just before completion of the roof in 2015, a Cooper’s Hawk was trapped in the parking garage and Raptor’s International captured it and released it on the roof; the hawk has been sighted here on occasion.

The green roof’s growing media depth is 6.5″ overall and an intensive mix was used. Irrigation designed by TriState Water Works kept water conservation in mind, incorporating a rain sensor and a solar sync that will adjust watering based on local weather conditions, along with pressure regulating heads and matched precipitation nozzles to make sure the proper amount of water is being distributed. 12” popups were installed in the back of the garden to irrigate over tall plants and 6” popups were used in the front.

The Macy’s Corporate Headquarters Habitat Roof is the first of its kind in downtown Cincinnati and the company hopes to encourage more businesses and their employees to make small oases of habitat.

“We are committed to the education and implementation of sustainability practices across the Company and have Employee Resource Groups leading our Go Green efforts. After being introduced to Rose Seeger from Green City Resources and seeing other habitat roofs, it only made sense for us to do the same. We partnered with Rose to create a beautiful and environmentally friendly roof top garden that our associates love and can be proud of. We are making a difference.” ~ Macy’s Corporate