1501 Broadway, also known as the Paramount Building, is a 33-story office building on
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
Theater District A theater district (also spelled theatre district) is a common name for a neighborhood containing several of a city's theatres.
Places
*Theater District, Manhattan, New York City
*Boston Theater District
*Buffalo Theater District
*Cleveland Theater ...
neighborhood of
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
in
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. Designed by
Rapp and Rapp
C. W. & George L. Rapp, commonly known as Rapp & Rapp, was an American architectural firm famed for the design of movie palaces and other theatres. Active from 1906 to 1965 and based in Chicago, the office designed over 400 theatres, inclu ...
, it was erected from 1925 to 1927 as the headquarters of
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
. The building is designed in the
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
style, with Beaux-Arts influences. The office wing on Times Square contains numerous setbacks as mandated by the 1916 Zoning Resolution, while the rear wing housed the Paramount Theatre from 1926 to 1967. Newmark & Company owns 1501 Broadway.
The facade is mostly designed with brick walls, though the first five stories are ornamented with limestone piers. The main entrance is on 43rd Street. There is also a five-story arch on
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
, facing Times Square, which leads to a
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and rol ...
; it is an imitation of the former Paramount Theatre entrance. Atop the building is a four-faced clock, with two large faces and two small faces, as well as an illuminated globe that could display the time. The ground floor historically had an ornate lobby leading to the theater, which had 3,664 seats over four levels. The modern building contains office space in both the original office wing and the theater wing.
Paramount predecessor
Famous Players-Lasky
Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company—originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays—and t ...
proposed the theater in 1922, but Rapp and Rapp had revised the plans to include an office tower by 1924. The theater opened on November 19, 1926, though the offices did not open until the following year. The clock and globe on the roof were blacked out during World War II. A group led by David Rosenthal converted the theater to offices in 1967 and removed the theater's original arch. The Paramount Building's facade became a
New York City designated landmark
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
in 1988. The arch, clock, and globe were restored starting in the late 1990s, and the main entrance was relocated in another renovation in the 2010s.
Site
The Paramount Building is on 1501
Broadway
Broadway may refer to:
Theatre
* Broadway Theatre (disambiguation)
* Broadway theatre, theatrical productions in professional theatres near Broadway, Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
** Broadway (Manhattan), the street
**Broadway Theatre (53rd Stree ...
, between 43rd and 44th Streets, at
Times Square
Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and neighborhood in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway, Seventh Avenue, and 42nd Street. Together with adjacent ...
in the
Midtown Manhattan
Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...
neighborhood of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
. While the building carries a Broadway address, it is actually on the west side of Seventh Avenue. The section of Broadway and Seventh Avenue between 43rd and 45th Streets is officially listed on city maps as "Times Square", but the adjoining section of Broadway was converted into a permanent pedestrian plaza in the 2010s. The Paramount Building's rectangular
land lot
In real estate, a lot or plot is a tract or parcel of land owned or meant to be owned by some owner(s). A plot is essentially considered a parcel of real property in some countries or immovable property (meaning practically the same thing) in ...
covers , with a
frontage
Frontage is the boundary between a plot of land or a building and the road onto which the plot or building fronts. Frontage may also refer to the full length of this boundary. This length is considered especially important for certain types of ...
of on Broadway and on 43rd and 44th Streets.
The surrounding area is part of
Manhattan
Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...
's
Theater District A theater district (also spelled theatre district) is a common name for a neighborhood containing several of a city's theatres.
Places
*Theater District, Manhattan, New York City
*Boston Theater District
*Buffalo Theater District
*Cleveland Theater ...
and contains many
Broadway theatre
Broadway theatre,Although ''theater'' is generally the spelling for this common noun in the United States (see American and British English spelling differences), 130 of the 144 extant and extinct Broadway venues use (used) the spelling ''Th ...
Hayes Theater
The Hayes Theater (formerly the Little Theatre, New York Times Hall, Winthrop Ames Theatre, and Helen Hayes Theatre) is a Broadway theater at 240 West 44th Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Named for actres ...
, and the St. James Theatre to the west. Other nearby buildings include the
Majestic Theatre Majestic Theatre or Majestic Theater may refer to:
Australia
* Majestic Theatre, Adelaide, former name of a theatre in King William Street, Adelaide, built 1916, now demolished
* Majestic Theatre, Launceston, a former cinema in Tasmania designed b ...
, the
Broadhurst Theatre
The Broadhurst Theatre is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater at 235 West 44th Street (Manhattan), 44th Street in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Opened in 1917, the theater was designed ...
One Astor Plaza
One Astor Plaza, also known as 1515 Broadway and formerly the W. T. Grant Building, is a 54-story office building on Times Square in the Theater District, Manhattan, Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Designed by Der Scutt o ...
to the north;
1530 Broadway
The Olympia Theatre (1514–16 Broadway at 44th Street), also known as Hammerstein's Olympia, was a theatre complex built by impresario Oscar Hammerstein I in Longacre Square (later Times Square), New York City, opening in 1895. It consisted of ...
to the northeast;
1500 Broadway
1500 Broadway is a skyscraper located in Times Square, Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The skyscraper was completed in 1972 by Arlen Realty & Development Corporation, with a height of , and has 34 floors. 1500 Broadway is famous for the seven ...
to the east;
4 Times Square
4 Times Square (also known as 151 West 42nd Street or One Five One; formerly the Condé Nast Building) is a 52-story skyscraper at Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Located at 1472 Broadway, between 42nd and ...
and
One Times Square
One Times Square (also known as 1475 Broadway, the New York Times Building, the New York Times Tower, or simply as the Times Tower) is a 25-story, skyscraper on Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Designed by ...
to the southeast;
3 Times Square
3 Times Square, also known as the Thomson Reuters Building, is a 30-story skyscraper at Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Located on Seventh Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Street, the building measures to it ...
to the south; the
American Airlines Theatre
The American Airlines Theatre, originally the Selwyn Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 227 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Built in 1918, it was designed by George Keister and developed by brothe ...
New Victory Theater
The New Victory Theater is a theater at 209 West 42nd Street in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, near Times Square. Built in 1900 as the Republic Theatre (also Theatre Republic), it was designed by Albert Westover and ...
to the southwest.
Prior to the development of the Paramount Building, the eastern portion of the site had been occupied by the Putnam Building, a six-story commercial structure. It was named after
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...
general
Israel Putnam
Israel Putnam (January 7, 1718 – May 29, 1790), popularly known as "Old Put", was an American military officer and landowner who fought with distinction at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American Revolutionary War (1775–1783). He als ...
, who had passed through the site in 1776 during the war. The Putnam Building had long been occupied by theatrical agencies and, before its demolition in 1925, had a large electric sign measuring on its facade. The western part of the site was occupied by a group of brownstones, operated by the
Astor family
The Astor family achieved prominence in business, society, and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With ancestral roots in the Italian Alps region of Italy by way of Germany,
the Astors settle ...
as a set of apartments called Westover Court. The Astor family had owned the land since 1803. The vicinity had also been known as the "Eden Farm" until about 1850; that name came from a previous landowner.
Architecture
1501 Broadway was designed by brothers Cornelius Ward Rapp and George Leslie Rapp, of the firm
Rapp and Rapp
C. W. & George L. Rapp, commonly known as Rapp & Rapp, was an American architectural firm famed for the design of movie palaces and other theatres. Active from 1906 to 1965 and based in Chicago, the office designed over 400 theatres, inclu ...
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
styles. It was constructed from 1925 to 1927 as the headquarters of
Paramount Pictures
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldes ...
, one of the major American motion picture companies in the 1920s. R. E. Hall & Co. were the construction engineers while Thompson–Starrett Co. was the
general contractor
A general contractor, main contractor or prime contractor is responsible for the day-to-day oversight of a construction site, management of vendors and trades, and the communication of information to all involved parties throughout the course of ...
. The building contains 33 stories and measures tall to its roof and to its pinnacle. At the time of its completion, the Paramount Building was the tallest building in Times Square, as well as Broadway's tallest building north of the
Woolworth Building
The Woolworth Building is an early skyscraper, early American skyscraper designed by architect Cass Gilbert located at 233 Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway in the Tribeca neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. It was the tallest building in ...
.
Form
1501 Broadway was designed in two parts: the 33-story office section in the front, along Broadway, and a shorter wing in the rear, which formerly housed the Paramount Theatre. This was typical of New York City theater buildings, where the theater was relegated to cheaper lots on side streets, while the office space took up the more valuable frontage on the main avenues. While the building had initially been planned with a 29-story office section, this was changed in the middle of construction. The office tower's decorative details was influenced by the Beaux-Arts style, while the theater was designed in a
Neo-Renaissance
Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range o ...
style. The Art Deco decoration was limited largely to the
massing
Massing is a term in architecture which refers to the perception of the general shape and form as well as size of a building.
Massing in architectural theory
Massing refers to the structure in three dimensions (form), not just its outline from ...
.
1501 Broadway contains eight setbacks, seven of which are above the theater wing. The setbacks are placed on all sides as mandated under the 1916 Zoning Resolution. On 43rd Street, the theater wing is twelve stories tall. On 44th Street, the theater wing is nine stories tall, except for the westernmost bay, which is fourteen stories tall with a setback on the 12th story. Along the office wing, the setbacks on the north, east, and south
elevation
The elevation of a geographic location is its height above or below a fixed reference point, most commonly a reference geoid, a mathematical model of the Earth's sea level as an equipotential gravitational surface (see Geodetic datum § Vert ...
s start above the 18th story; there are six setbacks on these elevations, placed at regular intervals. Each setback is separated by two or three stories. The office wing's west elevation rises above the roof of the theater wing, with a small setback on the 26th story and a deeper setback on the 28th story. The top section of 1501 Broadway rises above the 28th story and is two bays deep. The massing was intended to resemble that of a mountain, as depicted in the Paramount Pictures logo.
Facade
Base
The first five stories of both wings are clad in limestone and constitute the building's base. The ground story contains storefronts. The main entrance since 2018 is on 43rd Street, with bronze doors and a bronze marquee sign. The 2nd through 4th stories are divided into bays, containing three-story window openings flanked by rusticated piers. The windows on each story are separated by iron
spandrel
A spandrel is a roughly triangular space, usually found in pairs, between the top of an arch and a rectangular frame; between the tops of two adjacent arches or one of the four spaces between a circle within a square. They are frequently fill ...
s and are divided by vertical iron mullions. The spandrels are ornamented with classical motifs, as well as theatrical icons such as masks,
scrolls
A scroll (from the Old French ''escroe'' or ''escroue''), also known as a roll, is a roll of papyrus, parchment, or paper containing writing.
Structure
A scroll is usually partitioned into pages, which are sometimes separate sheets of papyrus ...
, and
festoon
A festoon (from French ''feston'', Italian ''festone'', from a Late Latin ''festo'', originally a festal garland, Latin ''festum'', feast) is a wreath or garland hanging from two points, and in architecture typically a carved ornament depicti ...
s. The 5th story contains one-over-one sash windows with metal frames. Between the 5th-story windows are oval cartouches.
The theater entrance was near the south end of the eastern elevation, facing Broadway. Originally, it had a five-story archway and an elaborate curved marquee. The original archway was removed in the late 1960s and replaced with windows and rusticated piers, which were taken from the 43rd Street elevation. The only indication of the former archway was the presence of blank limestone panels instead of windows on the 5th story. The arch was restored in 2001 and is constructed of concrete reinforced with glass fibers. The archway is surrounded by a frame with scrolls, rosettes, and lyre players, attached to a steel frame. The replica marquee, measuring wide, is made of three glass panels, reinforced with plastic and finished in bronze. The marquee includes a curved LED display but was otherwise designed to match historical specifications. A sign with the name "Paramount" is mounted over the archway and contains 400 lights.
Prior to 2018, the main office entrance was just north of the center bay along Broadway; the opening still exists but leads to a retail space. It contains a double-height limestone frame with a
lintel
A lintel or lintol is a type of beam (a horizontal structural element) that spans openings such as portals, doors, windows and fireplaces. It can be a decorative architectural element, or a combined ornamented structural item. In the case of w ...
above the second floor. The doorway is divided vertically into a large center section flanked by two narrower sections. At ground level, the entrance includes a set of double doors, flanked by a single door, all made of brass and glass. Above the center doors is a clock flanked by brackets. There are windows above the remainder of the ground floor, as well as another set of windows on the 2nd story. The ground and 2nd stories of the doorway are separated by decorative iron spandrels; the center panel has an oval motif. The spandrels contain other motifs including theater masks, instruments, and branches. The building's
cornerstone
The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
Over time ...
is placed in a niche within the former main entrance. The cornerstone includes copper boxes with several newspapers' front pages, gold coins, film reels, and a news reel showing
Richard E. Byrd
Richard Evelyn Byrd Jr. (October 25, 1888 – March 11, 1957) was an American naval officer and explorer. He was a recipient of the Medal of Honor, the highest honor for valor given by the United States, and was a pioneering American aviator, p ...
's 1926 North Pole flight.
Office stories
Starting on the 6th story of the office tower, the window openings generally contain one-over-one windows, which are grouped into bays. The bays are divided by alternating narrow and wide piers. The narrow piers are plain, while the wide piers are either rusticated or plain. The rusticated piers project slightly from the facade. The rear wing on 43rd and 44th Streets has double-hung windows separated by plain piers. On 44th Street, there are oval openings at the ninth story, which are surrounded by festoons. The top of the rear wing on 44th Street is decorated with
acroteria
An acroterion, acroterium, or akroteria is an architectural ornament placed on a flat pedestal called the ''acroter'' or plinth, and mounted at the apex or corner of the pediment of a building in the classical style. An acroterion placed at th ...
.
The setbacks of the office tower contain
parapet
A parapet is a barrier that is an extension of the wall at the edge of a roof, terrace, balcony, walkway or other structure. The word comes ultimately from the Italian ''parapetto'' (''parare'' 'to cover/defend' and ''petto'' 'chest/breast'). Whe ...
s. Below the parapets were floodlights that originally illuminated the setbacks at night to emphasize the jagged
massing
Massing is a term in architecture which refers to the perception of the general shape and form as well as size of a building.
Massing in architectural theory
Massing refers to the structure in three dimensions (form), not just its outline from ...
. Over one thousand lights were used in the setbacks' lighting system. Trapezoidal
finial
A finial (from '' la, finis'', end) or hip-knob is an element marking the top or end of some object, often formed to be a decorative feature.
In architecture, it is a small decorative device, employed to emphasize the Apex (geometry), apex of a d ...
s, designed to resemble obelisks, are placed at the setback level atop many of the rusticated piers. On the 28th through 30th stories, there are oversized consoles on the north and south elevations.
Clock and globe
The Paramount Building has a large four-faced clock above its 30th story. The
clock face
A clock face is the part of an analog clock (or watch) that displays time through the use of a flat dial with reference marks, and revolving pointers turning on concentric shafts at the center, called hands. In its most basic, globally recogni ...
s on the west and east are made of limestone, with metal minute and hour hands. The west and east clock faces measure about wide. Inset within the stone are twelve circular glass panels, which measure high and denote the hours. These panels contain five-pointed stars, forming a circle of stars as used in the Paramount Pictures logo. The hour and minute hands were originally illuminated. Flanking these faces is a pair of setback pavilions with oval cartouches and rusticated piers. The north and south clock faces are placed on these setback pavilions. They are made with metal frames and are smaller than those on the west and east. The clock faces were mechanically operated from the building's completion.
Above the clock faces is a stone
frieze
In architecture, the frieze is the wide central section part of an entablature and may be plain in the Ionic or Doric order, or decorated with bas-reliefs. Paterae are also usually used to decorate friezes. Even when neither columns nor ...
and trapezoidal corner obelisks. The top of the building contains a copper pedestal with an ornamental glass and copper sphere measuring across. The sphere is made of 90 square panels, originally decorated with a map of the world. A smokestack is placed within the globe, measuring wide, with a maintenance ladder and catwalks inside. The globe was designed to signify Paramount's presence around the world, and it originally illuminated once every 15 minutes. In its early years, the globe could be seen from several miles away at night. During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
, the globe and clock were painted black to maintain blackout conditions for fear of an enemy invasion. They were restored in 1996. After its restoration, the globe was lit a constant white after dusk, with red pulses every 15 minutes to signify the time, as well as bell chimes.
In November 1927, a rooftop observation deck opened above the clock at a height of . It included glass-enclosed rooms on either side of the clock. Visitors to the observation deck had to take an express elevator to the 26th floor, then transfer to a lift that served the upper offices. Adults were charged 50 cents for admission, while children paid 25 cents. The observation deck has since been closed. The observation area is narrow, though urban explorers have climbed onto the deck.
Interior
Former theater space
The central entrance on Broadway led to the offices, while the ornate arched entrance on the south end of the Broadway elevation led to the Paramount Theatre. The interior of the theater was decorated with French detailing. The arch connected to a domed rotunda measuring tall, supported by veined-marble columns on black-and-gold bases. A "Hall of Nations" was just past the rotunda. The Hall of Nations had rocks from 37 countries, accompanied by explanatory plaques, as well as a bust of
Thomas Edison
Thomas Alva Edison (February 11, 1847October 18, 1931) was an American inventor and businessman. He developed many devices in fields such as electric power generation, mass communication, sound recording, and motion pictures. These inventio ...
. Past that was a grand hall, which was modeled on the
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, u ...
chapel and measured long by wide. The hall's design features were also inspired by that of the
Paris Opera House
The Paris Opera (, ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be ...
's foyer, with white marble columns, balustrades, and a grand staircase flanking the hallway. The vaulted ceiling rose to a height of and had a mural of the
Sun King
, house = Bourbon
, father = Louis XIII
, mother = Anne of Austria
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
, death_date =
, death_place = Palace of Ver ...
. Elevators connected with the Paramount Theatre's mezzanine levels and with a basement lounge. An enormous crystal chandelier was hung from the hall.
The Paramount Theatre, with 3,664 seats, was at the rear of the building. It was 10 stories tall, with three levels of balcony seating, as well as a promenade for visitors to look down at the theater from overhead. The orchestra was at the south end, while the stage was at the north end. The theater was decorated in rose, turquoise, and ivory colors, and fountains flanked the
proscenium
A proscenium ( grc-gre, προσκήνιον, ) is the metaphorical vertical plane of space in a theatre, usually surrounded on the top and sides by a physical proscenium arch (whether or not truly "arched") and on the bottom by the stage floor ...
arch above the stage. The height of the theater was emphasized by decorated vertical panels on either side of the proscenium. The theater housed a large organ built by the
Wurlitzer
The Rudolph Wurlitzer Company, usually referred to as simply Wurlitzer, is an American company started in Cincinnati in 1853 by German immigrant (Franz) Rudolph Wurlitzer. The company initially imported stringed, woodwind and brass instruments ...
company. The railings were manufactured from brass. There were Greek statues and busts carved in wall niches, while the restrooms and waiting rooms were grandiose in style in comparison to cathedrals at the time. In addition to the auditorium, there were three rehearsal rooms. Various rooms were decorated with artwork, and there were seating lounges and a tea gallery as well. The side rooms were given names, such as the Elizabethan Room, a co-ed lounge paneled in walnut.
The theater space was converted to offices in 1967, requiring the installation of 64 steel columns within the auditorium shell. The former auditorium is spanned by eight
truss
A truss is an assembly of ''members'' such as beams, connected by ''nodes'', that creates a rigid structure.
In engineering, a truss is a structure that "consists of two-force members only, where the members are organized so that the assembl ...
es, each measuring and weighing . The former theater lobby's space is occupied by a
Hard Rock Cafe
Hard Rock Cafe, Inc. is a British-based multinational chain of theme restaurants, memorabilia shops, casinos and museums founded in 1971 by Isaac Tigrett and Peter Morton in London. In 1979, the cafe began covering its walls with rock and rol ...
restaurant, spread across on the ground floor and in the basement, as well as a Hard Rock Cafe store measuring . The restaurant can fit 600 diners or 1,000 concertgoers.
Offices
The offices were decorated with similar French motifs as the rest of the building. The office section of the building originally comprised . There were of storefronts and of basement space. The stories before the 18th floor each contained , while the upper stories were smaller because of the setbacks, tapering to at the top. The smaller upper stories were advertised as being suitable for companies that wanted to consolidate their offices on a full story and occupy it for themselves. Another or of office space was added in the late 1960s with the renovation of the former theater wing. The conversion created floor plates of up to on the lowest stories.
In 2018, a third-story sky lobby was completed. The sky lobby includes a two-story escalator atrium and an additional elevator from the entrance on 43rd Street. The offices were originally served by twelve elevators that could travel at up to . , there are 22 elevators in the building.
History
Times Square became the epicenter for large-scale theater productions between 1900 and
the Great Depression
The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
.
Famous Players-Lasky
Famous Players-Lasky Corporation was an American motion picture and distribution company formed on June 28, 1916, from the merger of Adolph Zukor's Famous Players Film Company—originally formed by Zukor as Famous Players in Famous Plays—and t ...
, the predecessor to the Paramount Corporation, had been formed in 1916. The company formed a subsidiary, the 1493 Broadway Corporation, to buy the Putnam Building and Westover Court on Times Square in 1919. During the 1920s, Famous Players-Lasky president
Adolph Zukor
Adolph Zukor (; hu, Zukor Adolf; January 7, 1873 – June 10, 1976) was a Hungarian-American film producer best known as one of the three founders of Paramount Pictures.Obituary ''Variety Obituaries, Variety'' (June 16, 1976), p. 76. He produ ...
had acquired a controlling interest in the Chicago-based
Balaban and Katz
Balaban and Katz Theater Corporation, or B&K, was a theatre corporation which owned a chain of motion picture theaters in Chicago and surrounding areas. It was founded by Barney Balaban (later long-time President of Paramount Pictures), his six ...
theatre chain, operated by
Sam Katz
Samuel Michael Katz (born August 20, 1951) is a Canadian businessman and former politician who was the 42nd mayor of Winnipeg, Manitoba from 2004 to 2014. He is the owner of the Winnipeg Goldeyes and a member of the Order of Manitoba. He wa ...
, who became the head of Paramount's theatre division. Balaban and Katz had a long working relationship with Chicago architectural firm Rapp and Rapp, which had designed numerous theaters for Katz's company in the Midwest.
Development
Planning
In June 1922, Famous Players-Lasky received a $5.5 million loan from the Prudence Bonds Corporation, and it planned to spend $2.5 million on a 4,000-seat movie theater behind the Putnam Building. Rapp and Rapp were hired to design the new theater. Shortly afterward, Famous Players-Lasky signed a 21-year lease with the 1493 Broadway Corporation. Though Famous Players-Lasky had encountered difficulties in funding its motion pictures by late 1923, Zukor said the corporation would proceed once the lease on Westover Court expired the following year. The size of the site would have allowed a theater with up to 7,000 seats, but this would have required an extremely crowded seating arrangement. Famous Players-Lasky had raised $2 million toward funding the building's construction when it had run into financial issues. Ultimately, the company implemented a financing plan, wherein it cleared the debt from the bond issues. After Famous Players-Lasky's financial issues were resolved, in October 1924, Zukor announced that the company would construct the theater and an office tower.
Early in 1925, Zukor appointed a special committee to oversee the development of the office tower and the as-yet-unnamed theater. That April, Famous Players-Lasky announced that it would erect the 29-story Paramount Building and an adjoining theater for $13.5 million, and Rapp and Rapp filed building plans. The land alone was valued at $4.24 million, an increase from $3.2 million in 1917. In addition to the theater, the building would include ground-story stores, Famous Players-Lasky's offices, a radio broadcasting station, a private rehearsal theater, and a children's nursery. The theater would be operated as part of Famous Players-Lasky's
Publix
Publix Super Markets, Inc., commonly known as Publix, is an employee-owned American supermarket chain headquartered in Lakeland, Florida. Founded in 1930 by George W. Jenkins, Publix is a private corporation that is wholly owned by present and ...
chain. The lowest two stories and the 16th through 31st stories would be rented out, except to theatrical agents, who would instead be offered space at
Paramount Studios
Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-oldest ...
in
Queens
Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
. The theater was planned to be completed first, followed by the office tower. The tenants of Westover Court were asked to leave the site by the beginning of June 1925, and the Putnam Building was to be demolished by that October.
Construction
Demolition contracts were awarded in May 1925. Famous Players-Lasky kept a film record of the work, starting with the demolition of Westover Court. To celebrate the project, Famous Players-Lasky held a barbecue in the nearby
Hotel Astor
Hotel Astor was a hotel on Times Square in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. Built in 1905 and expanded in 1909–1910 for the Astor family, the hotel occupied a site bounded by Broadway, Shubert Alley, and 44th and 45th Stre ...
that August, serving oxen and lamb that had been roasted over Westover Court's ruins. By September, the Putnam Building was slated to be demolished. In January 1926, the Paramount Broadway Corporation issued a first
mortgage
A mortgage loan or simply mortgage (), in civil law jurisdicions known also as a hypothec loan, is a loan used either by purchasers of real property to raise funds to buy real estate, or by existing property owners to raise funds for any pu ...
consisting of $10 million in bonds with a maturity of 25 years. The same month, the Paramount Broadway Corporation leased the building to Famous Players-Lasky for 25 years at an annual rental of $807,500. By then, the site's valuation had increased to $6 million, making it one of the most valuable sites in the neighborhood. The Broadway Association was tasked with arranging a dedication ceremony for the Paramount Building.
The excavations descended about into the underlying layer of bedrock. During excavations in February 1926, a
water main
A water distribution system is a part of water supply network with components that carry potable water from a centralized treatment plant or wells to consumers to satisfy residential, commercial, industrial and fire fighting requirements.
Definit ...
and a
gas main
Pipeline transport is the long-distance transportation of a liquid or gas through a system of pipes—a pipeline—typically to a market area for consumption. The latest data from 2014 gives a total of slightly less than of pipeline in 120 countr ...
broke, flooding the site. Later that month, the Thompson-Starrett Company began erecting the steel trusses above the auditorium. Traveling derricks were used for the process, which was captured on film and which attracted a large crowd. Inclement weather during that month led to slight delays, prompting Thompson-Starrett to hire contractors for overnight shifts to make up for the lost time. By the end of March, the auditorium's trusses were completed and the steel for the office tower was being erected. In addition, the offices on the first 13 stories had been completely rented, as were much of the 18th through 23rd stories.
Mayor
Jimmy Walker
James John Walker (June 19, 1881November 18, 1946), known colloquially as Beau James, was mayor of New York City from 1926 to 1932. A flamboyant politician, he was a liberal Democrat and part of the powerful Tammany Hall machine. He was forced t ...
laid the ceremonial
cornerstone
The cornerstone (or foundation stone or setting stone) is the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation. All other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.
Over time ...
on May 19, 1926, at a ceremony attended by Paramount's cofounders (Zukor and
Jesse L. Lasky
Jesse Louis Lasky (September 13, 1880 – January 13, 1958) was an American pioneer motion picture producer who was a key founder of what was to become Paramount Pictures, and father of screenwriter Jesse L. Lasky Jr.
Early life
Born in to ...
), as well as various producers and actors. One of the building's architects, C. W. Rapp, died the following month, during the construction. The office tower
topped out
In building construction, topping out (sometimes referred to as topping off) is a builders' rite traditionally held when the last beam (or its equivalent) is placed atop a structure during its construction. Nowadays, the ceremony is often parlaye ...
on August 2, 1926, with the raising of the U.S. flag above street level. The same month, Roman governor
Filippo Cremonesi
Filippo Cremonesi (22 August 1872 – 19 May 1942) was an Italian banker and politician. He was born in Rome, Kingdom of Italy. He was mayor of Rome from 1922 to 1926 and the first Fascist Governor of Rome in 1926. He was a recipient of the Ord ...
presented an eagle from a Roman palace, on behalf of Italian leader
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini (; 29 July 188328 April 1945) was an Italian politician and journalist who founded and led the National Fascist Party. He was Prime Minister of Italy from the March on Rome in 1922 until his deposition in 194 ...
, for the theater's Hall of Nations. At that point, a variety of firms had leased space at the building, including Rapp and Rapp, the
Western Union Telegraph Company
The Western Union Company is an American multinational financial services company, headquartered in Denver, Colorado.
Founded in 1851 as the New York and Mississippi Valley Printing Telegraph Company in Rochester, New York, the company chang ...
, and the
Educational Film Corporation of America
Educational Pictures, also known as Educational Film Exchanges, Inc. or Educational Films Corporation of America, was an American film production and film distribution company founded in 1916 by Earle (E. W.) Hammons (1882–1962). Educational pr ...
. In mid-November 1926, the New York Building Congress distributed craftsmanship awards to 21 construction workers.
Early and mid-20th century
Opening and 1920s
The Paramount Theatre opened on November 19, 1926, with a ceremony including thousands of guests. This was part of a three-day celebration of Broadway's 300th anniversary, which included an event in which thousands of balloons were released from the roof of the office tower. To date, $17 million had been spent on the entire project, including $3 million on the theater alone. Within a week of the theater's opening, Famous Players-Lasky estimated that the theater would earn $20,000 a week in net profit. The retail tenants included
Chemical Bank
Chemical Bank was a bank with headquarters in New York City from 1824 until 1996. At the end of 1995, Chemical was the third-largest bank in the U.S., with about $182.9 billion in assets and more than 39,000 employees around the world.
Beginning ...
,
Childs Restaurants
Childs Restaurants was one of the first national dining chains in the United States and Canada, having peaked in the 1920s and 1930s with about 125 locations in dozens of markets, serving over 50,000,000 meals a year, with over $37 million in as ...
, the Knox Hat Company, and the Sarnoff-Irving Hat Store, while the office tenants included four firms listed on the
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed c ...
. William A. White & Sons managed the leasing for the Paramount Building. Zukor had the top-story office for himself.
By January 1927, the building was 35 percent rented; the office structure was completed early that year. Some of the storefronts began opening that May, including a barber shop and the Chemical Bank branch. Rapp and Rapp filed plans in July 1927 to convert the basement to a restaurant, and the observation deck opened that November. The building's retail tenants paid rent to Paramount based on a percentage of each tenants' gross profits. Paramount executives frequently patronized the shops, including a 3rd-story barbershop, the Childs Restaurant in the basement, and a
Walgreens
Walgreen Company, d/b/a Walgreens, is an American company that operates the second-largest pharmacy store chain in the United States behind CVS Health. It specializes in filling prescriptions, health and wellness products, health information, an ...
pharmacy at ground level. Rapp and Rapp filed plans for further alterations in late 1928. By then, Famous Players-Lasky was officially known as the Paramount Famous Lasky Corporation; that company, in turn, became Paramount Publix in 1930.
1930s to 1950s
The office tower received several new tenants in the 1930s, including
Fusion Party
Fusion Party is a name for multiple political parties in United States history and more recently a Federal political party established in Australia. The different parties that used the name don't share any particular political positions; instead ...
campaign offices, advertisers Donahue & Coe, and
Prudential Insurance
Prudential Financial, Inc. is an American Fortune Global 500 and Fortune 500 company whose subsidiaries provide insurance, retirement planning, investment management, and other products and services to both Investor#Retail_investor, retail and i ...
. By February 1933, Publix was in
receivership
In law, receivership is a situation in which an institution or enterprise is held by a receiver—a person "placed in the custodial responsibility for the property of others, including tangible and intangible assets and rights"—especially in ca ...
and seeking to reduce its rent payments; in so doing, the firm moved to downsize its space. A bankruptcy court agreed to reorganize the Paramount Building's debt in May 1934. The yearly interest rate on the bonds was lowered temporarily until half the principal of the bonds was paid off. Paramount Broadway also sued to have the tax assessment for the building reduced by $3 million. Despite opposition by bondholders, Paramount Publix reorganized as Paramount Pictures Inc. in April 1935 and restructured its subsidiary, the Paramount Broadway Corporation. Paramount Pictures owned all stock in Paramount Broadway. The Paramount Theatre at the base closed for one week in 1934, the only extended closure in the theater's history. The next year, the clock faces were refurbished after the hands had become badly corroded.
Paramount Broadway continued to post losses in the years after the reorganization. Conversely, the Paramount Theatre at the building's base became highly popular, especially for live musical performances, hosting performers such as
Buddy Holly
Charles Hardin Holley (September 7, 1936 – February 3, 1959), known as Buddy Holly, was an American singer and songwriter who was a central and pioneering figure of mid-1950s rock and roll. He was born to a musical family in Lubbock, Texas ...
and
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...
. William A. White & Son prepared the building for air raids at the beginning of World War II, which led the building to earn an award for air-raid readiness in 1943. In addition, the Paramount Building's tenants collected scrap paper for the war effort, and the globe and clock atop the building were blacked out. By the end of 1944, Paramount Broadway had paid off a $6 million mortgage on the building. Paramount attempted to sell the office building in 1948. After marketing the building for a few months and failing to find a buyer, the company listed it publicly that September for $13 million. The clock faces were repaired in mid-1949.
In 1949, Paramount Pictures' board of directors voted to split the theater unit to a separate company, United Paramount Theatres (UPT). The building became the UPT's headquarters, and UPT leased the theater from Paramount Pictures. In addition, Paramount received a $9 million loan from Prudential Insurance in September 1950, including a $7 million mortgage on the Paramount Building. After UPT's merger with
ABC
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
in 1953, the building continued as
American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres
American Broadcasting-Paramount Theatres, Inc. (originally United Paramount Theatres, later the American Broadcasting Companies and ABC Television) was the post-merger parent company of the American Broadcasting Company and United Paramount Thea ...
(AB-PT)'s headquarters. The Child's Restaurant and Walgreens store at the base, which had occupied the building since its completion, were closed in 1957. AB-PT relocated its headquarters to the ABC studios on 66th Street in 1959, though ABC's film syndication units remained at the Paramount Building. The theater had dropped its stage-show policy in 1952 but was still popular, though it faced increasing competition from television.
Late 20th century to present
Sale and annex conversion
William Zeckendorf Jr.
William Zeckendorf Jr. (October 31, 1929 – February 12, 2014) was an American real estate developer. Son of William Zeckendorf Sr., he was the second of three generations of one of New York's great real estate dynasties. While keeping a lower pr ...
of the firm
Webb & Knapp
Webb and Knapp was a real estate development firm.
The company is most famous for developing the Roosevelt Airfield, which was the launching site of the transatlantic flights of Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. It was also the firm at which ...
offered to buy 1501 Broadway in June 1964, with plans to replace the Paramount Theatre with an exhibit hall and office space. A Webb & Knapp subsidiary had made a $150,000 down payment, with a promise to pay $350,000 before the sale's closing and $10 million at closing. The theater shuttered on August 4, 1964, though it temporarily reopened the next month. Paramount Pictures indicated it would remain in the building. The conclusion of the sale was postponed to October, then to November, when the theater's art was auctioned. 1501 Broadway was finally purchased in December 1964 by Paramount Building Associates, an affiliate of Webb & Knapp, for $10.5 million. By then, Webb & Knapp was financially troubled and was selling off property to pay off debts. The Paramount Theatre was leased for stage/screen programs in March 1965 but closed again that June after failing to attract guests.
Paramount Building Associates contracted to resell 1501 Broadway in May 1965 to Evelyn Sharp, who paid $9 million and planned to renovate the building. Mortimer M. Caplin had been appointed as trustee for Webb & Knapp's operations, and he sought to delay the sale of the building to Sharp. The property title was to have been transferred in June 1965, but Caplin objected to the transfer at the last minute. Caplin presumably wanted Webb & Knapp's $500,000 deposit on the building to be returned to his client. This led Sharp to withdraw from the proposed sale, allowing Caplin to proceed with selling the building at a foreclosure auction. Though the auction garnered no buyers, the building was sold that September to David Rosenthal, Joseph E. Levine, and Philip J. Levin. ABC moved to 1330 Avenue of the Americas afterward, while Paramount moved out after becoming part of the
Gulf & Western
Gulf and Western Industries, Inc. (stylized as Gulf+Western) was an American conglomerate. Originally, the company focused on manufacturing and resource extraction. Beginning in 1966, and continuing throughout the 1960s and 1970s, the company ...
conglomerate.
The owners planned to build a garage at ground level with offices above. The group began renovating the Paramount Building in January 1967. As part of the renovation, the Paramount Theatre was dismantled and turned into office space, and the archway leading to the theater was removed. That March, Rosenthal and Levine sold their ownership stakes to Levin and Arlen Properties, who split ownership equally between them. Existing tenants were not disrupted by the demolition of the old theater, which had been completed by that October. A branch of the
New York Bank for Savings
The New York Savings Bank is a historic bank building in Chelsea, Manhattan, New York City. It was built in 1896 by Robert Henderson Robertson with George Provot, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places on January 7, 2000. The ...
opened in the base in early 1968, while construction was still ongoing, forcing the tellers to wear hard hats.
1970s to 1990s
Newmark & Company managed the building on behalf of Arlen, signing ten-year leases for the expanded office stories. Major tenants in the newly converted offices included ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
Lane Bryant
Lane Bryant Inc. is an American women's apparel and intimates specialty retailer focusing on plus-size clothing. The company began in 1904 with maternity designs created by Lena Himmelstein, Lena Himmelstein Bryant Malsin. Lane Bryant, Inc., is ...
, and the Metropolitan Diagnostic Institute. The newly converted office space was not fully leased until the mid-1970s. By the end of that decade, many lower-story tenants had chosen not to renew, including the ''Times'' and Lane Bryant, but Newmark had added other tenants, including the
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is the revenue service for the United States federal government, which is responsible for collecting U.S. federal taxes and administering the Internal Revenue Code, the main body of the federal statutory ta ...
and
Hardesty & Hanover
Hardesty & Hanover is an American infrastructure engineering company specializing in the design and management of bridges and other transportation and architecture projects. The firm was founded in 1887 by John Alexander Low Waddell, a structu ...
. By contrast, the upper stories were fully rented. In addition to the larger tenants, the Paramount Building hosted smaller offices such as those of the National Endowments for the
Arts
The arts are a very wide range of human practices of creative expression, storytelling and cultural participation. They encompass multiple diverse and plural modes of thinking, doing and being, in an extremely broad range of media. Both hi ...
and
Humanities
Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...
. All of the space in the building had been rented by the mid-1980s.
The
New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission
The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) is the New York City agency charged with administering the city's Landmarks Preservation Law. The LPC is responsible for protecting New York City's architecturally, historically, and cu ...
(LPC) designated the Paramount Building as a city landmark in November 1988. The building was designated for its historical importance to the motion-picture industry and for its architectural importance as an Art Deco skyscraper. In 1996, Newmark received permission from the LPC to restore the clock and globe atop the building and the large arch on Broadway. An imitation of the original marquee was to be placed in front of the arch. This was part of the company's effort to attract a retailer to the basement.
Planet Hollywood
Planet Hollywood International Inc. (stylized as planet Hollywood, planet Hollywood observatory and ph) is a themed restaurant chain inspired by the popular portrayal of Hollywood. The company is owned by Earl Enterprises corporation. Earl En ...
, which planned to lease the basement, would pay for the restoration. The restoration of the clock and globe involved changing the power supply and rebuilding the clock mechanism. The clock and globe were restored at the end of 1997.
Planet Hollywood spent $13 million on renovating 1501 Broadway's ground-floor space into a venue for live music. Tobin Parnes was the restoration architect. The project entailed lowering the basement by , removing three support columns, and lengthening nine more columns. Following Planet Hollywood's financial troubles, it sold the basement and first-floor space to World Wrestling Federation Entertainment (WWF; later WWE) in July 1999 for $9 million. WWF planned to open a theme restaurant at the base, known as
The World
In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...
, and the company spent $7.5 million.
2000s to present
The World opened in 2000. That May, the LPC approved the addition of an LED marquee after initially hesitating to do so. The new marquee was unveiled with an American flag display on September 12, 2001, one day after the
September 11 attacks
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
. WWE closed its store and restaurant in early 2003, only three years after opening the restaurant.
Bubba Gump Shrimp Company
Bubba Gump Shrimp Company is an American seafood restaurant chain inspired by the 1994 film ''Forrest Gump''. As of October 2022, thirty-four Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurants operate worldwide. Twenty-two of these locations are in the United ...
opened a restaurant in the building that year. Hard Rock Cafe decided to move into the WWE space in 2004, citing the improvements that WWE had already made. Numerous retailers took space at 1501 Broadway in the early 2010s including
Ben & Jerry's
Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings Inc., trading and commonly known as Ben & Jerry's, is an American company that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet. Founded in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont, the company went from a single ice cream p ...
and the
New York Yankees
The New York Yankees are an American professional baseball team based in the Boroughs of New York City, New York City borough of the Bronx. The Yankees compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the American League (AL) Amer ...
.
Paramount Leasehold LP, the building's owner, obtained a $130 million mortgage from Cantor Commercial Real Estate in 2013. Paramount Leasehold planned to spend $50 million on renovating the building; it also considered adding an entrance on 43rd Street. At the time, 1501 Broadway was 70 percent occupied, and its tenants included entertainment companies and attorneys. The LPC approved the renovation project in 2016. The lobby was moved from Broadway to 43rd Street, and a tenant lounge was installed on the third story. In addition, elevators and escalators were added, while hallways, restrooms, and windows were upgraded. The contractors replicated the historical features using plaster moldings, and some original architectural details were salvaged and relocated. A specialty contractor provided the custom cast-bronze pieces and an Italian quarry supplied marble for the renovation.
The lobby relocation was completed in mid-2018, after which Newmark signed leases with tenants such as the
KIPP Foundation
The Knowledge is Power Program, commonly known as KIPP, is a network of free open-enrollment college-preparatory schools in low income communities throughout the United States. KIPP is America's largest network of charter schools. The head of ...
and the
American Federation of Musicians
The American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada (AFM/AFofM) is a 501(c)(5) labor union representing professional instrumental musicians in the United States and Canada. The AFM, which has its headquarters in New York City, ...
. The entire renovation was completed in 2019.
JPMorgan Chase
JPMorgan Chase & Co. is an American multinational investment bank and financial services holding company headquartered in New York City and incorporated in Delaware. As of 2022, JPMorgan Chase is the largest bank in the United States, the ...
gave Levin and Newmark a $200 million loan for 1501 Broadway in early 2020, and the owners began adding a tenant lounge on the third story that year. Ticketing platform
TodayTix
TodayTix is a digital ticketing platform for theatrical and cultural events. Founded by two Broadway producers, TodayTix's free mobile apps for iOS and Android (operating system), Android provide access to theatre, theater shows in New York Cit ...
moved to 1501 Broadway in 2022.
Critical reception
When the Paramount Building was completed, architect Francisco Mujica wrote that the building exemplified how setback skyscrapers resembled "the primitive pyramids of America". H. I. Brock of ''The New York Times'' wrote that the Paramount Building was "the most extraordinary pile in New York". Conversely,
Lewis Mumford
Lewis Mumford (October 19, 1895 – January 26, 1990) was an American historian, sociologist, philosopher of technology, and literary critic. Particularly noted for his study of cities and urban architecture, he had a broad career as a wr ...
said "the posters describe it as the greatest palace that shadows have built", a phrase that had been created by film industry promoters, "but it is in fact the greatest shadow that shadows have built". While Mumford characterized the exterior as something that nobody could see, he called the interior "the reminiscence of a grandiose nightmare that might follow a rather arduous day of sightseeing in Paris".
George Shepard Chappell
George Shepard Chappell, AIA (January 2, 1877 – November 25, 1946) was an American architect, parodist, journalist (with the magazine '' Vanity Fair'') and author. He is known as the author of numerous books, including a travel series parody p ...
, writing in ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' under the pseudonym "T-Square", wrote that he could not "conscientiously give the building anything except size"; in Chappell's view, this fit with the "concentrated tawdriness" of Times Square.
In the 1980s, ''The New York Times'' wrote that Times Square's skyline was characterized by "the beautiful Astor Hotel, the sleekly new Paramount Building and, of course,
Architecture of New York City
The building form most closely associated with New York City is the skyscraper, which has shifted many commercial and residential districts from low-rise to high-rise. Surrounded mostly by water, the city has amassed one of the largest and most ...
**
Art Deco architecture of New York City
Art Deco architecture flourished in New York City during the 1920s and 1930s, before largely disappearing after World War II. The style is found in government edifices, commercial projects, and residential buildings in all five boroughs. The arc ...