In early fall there was a problem on Fifth Avenue.

In a matter of weeks, about 750,000 daily visitors would descend on the northern part of the thoroughfare to see the famous holiday windows, an uplifting, nostalgic tradition for many tourists and New Yorkers alike.

Yet there was a depressing sight: four colossal buildings that were vacant, vacant, vacant, vacant. Until recently, the buildings had been the flagship locations for Polo Ralph Lauren, Henri Bendel, Massimo Dutti, and Tommy Hilfiger.

To put it bluntly, said Michael Hirschfeld, who works in commercial real estate, it was “mood killing.”

So the Fifth Avenue Association, which represents more than 120 establishments, sprang into action, deciding to do more of what Fifth Avenue does best: holiday windows.