NEW YORK -- Sprawling roughly between West 16 Street and Hudson Street in Manhattan, the Meatpacking District was where meat factories were up and running in the early 1900s. The blocks in the area, currently filled with upscale restaurants and bars and fashion boutiques, have since become the gem of New York City, attracting millions of tourists, partygoers and locals every year.

Samsung Electronics opened its marketing center, dubbed Samsung 837, in the heart of the district at Washington Street 837 in February last year, right across the High Line, a 2.33-kilometer-long linear park formed along what used to be an elevated railroad. The center has become a hot spot where both tourists and locals can get a taste of high-tech mobile devices.

The first and second stories of the 837 building are used as a showroom and the top two stories serve as Samsung’s marketing headquarters in the U.S.

Upon entering the building, visitors encounter a gigantic three-story media wall consisting of 96 50-inch (127 centimeters) displays that show collages of pictures shaping visitors’ faces.

Under the huge screen is a small stage where Samsung holds a range of events, such as a side event for a flagship product launch, a virtual reality cooking class with Michelin chefs and a TV show. 

At the 837, visitors can ride a VR roller coaster while sitting in a 4-dimensional motion seat with Samsung’s Gear VR headset on and jump into the 3-dimisional world by taking 360-degree pictures with Samsung’s Gear VR 360 camera in a closed, mirrored room.

Samsung also provides after-sales services at the center to fix broken handsets and give short one-on-one or group workshops in which visitors can learn how to fully utilize the functions of Samsung mobile devices.

After spending some time with the high-tech devices, visitors can rest for a while with coffee, cookies and other snacks at the cafeteria on the third floor. 

“It is estimated that around 1,000 people visit the 837 per day on weekdays and 2,000 to 3,000 on weekends,” an official from Samsung 837 said.

The total number of visitors to the marketing center has surpassed 200,000 since its opening in February, 2016, according to Samsung.

Many students in New York City visit the center as part of field trips that include a visit to the High Line, the Samsung official said.

Samsung also makes use of the headquarters for meetings with clients and partners.

By Kim Young-won, The Investor correspondent (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)