Kaufman Astoria Studios

History

20th century

The studio was originally constructed for Famous Players–Lasky in 1920 to provide the company with a facility close to the Broadway theater district. Many features and short subjects were filmed there between 1920 and 1933. W. C. Fields made his silent features there. The first Sherlock Holmes sound film, The Return of Sherlock Holmes (also 1929), was made at the studio by the British producer Basil Dean. The first two films featuring the Marx Brothers, The Cocoanuts (1929) and Animal Crackers (1930), were shot at the Astoria Studio.

Paramount used the Astoria studio heavily in the early years of talking pictures, primarily for short subjects starring New York-based stage and radio performers: Burns and Allen, Eddie Cantor, Tom Howard, Ethel Merman, Rudy Vallee, Lillian Roth, and many others. During this period the studio facility was known as the Paramount Studio.

In 1932, after Paramount Pictures moved all studio operations to California, the Astoria location was turned over to independent producers, including Walter Wanger, whose films were released through Paramount or other Hollywood film companies. All the films starring tango icon Carlos Gardel made in the United States were shot at Astoria Studios. Gloria Swanson cites the studio as, "the studio where I'd been making all of my pictures since 1923" in her autobiography Swanson on Swanson. In 1938, ...One Third of a Nation... was the last feature film to be shot there during that era.

Educational Pictures rented space at the facility during the 1930s, until Educational closed its doors in 1938. The last theatrical films produced at Astoria were a series of short Robert Benchley comedies released by Paramount between 1940 and 1942.

In 1942, the United States Army Signal Corps Army Pictorial Service took over the studio for the making of Army training films until 1971, including The Big Picture, shown on American network television and later in syndication.

In 1975, the studio opened again for shooting on Thieves.

In 1978, the property was designated a national historic district and added to the National Register of Historic Places. The district encompasses six contributing buildings.

In 1981, New York City received an Urban Development Action Grant from the federal government for the renovation and expansion of the studio which Kenneth Schuman, NYC Commissioner for Economic Development, described as being of "compelling public interest".

In 1982, the property was taken over by real estate developer George S. Kaufman and renamed Kaufman Astoria Studios.

21st century

Kaufman Astoria Studios has seven sound stages including the new Stage K, designed by the Janson Design Group.

In 2008, Martin P. Robinson, who plays Mr. Snuffleupagus, Telly Monster, and Slimey the Worm on Sesame Street, married Annie Evans, a writer for the show on the Sesame Street set. The ceremony was performed on the steps of 123 Sesame Street and the reception was held throughout the rest of the set.

On December 3, 2013, a 34,800 ft2 backlot was dedicated. It is the only studio backlot in New York City.

In 2014, Kaufman Astoria Studios announced plans to build a new 18,000-square-foot soundstage on its Astoria campus within two years.

In 2020, Kaufman Astoria Studios announced a five-block redevelopment project around the studio, in conjunction with Larry Silverstein, Bedrock Real Estate, and ODA Architecture. The area would be called Innovation QNS and stretch from 37th to 43rd Streets from 35th to 36th Avenues. The project, to cost $2 billion, would add 2,700 residential units, 200000 ft2 for shops and restaurants, and 250000 ft2 for creative industries. Construction was planned to begin in 2023. In 2022, the New York City Council approved the Innovation QNS project, although local activists had opposed the plans. Construction was delayed in part because of the expiration of the 421-a tax exemption and the 2023 Writers Guild of America strike. Two of the buildings in the Innovation QNS site were sold in early 2025, and the project was canceled that August due to industry and tax-policy uncertainty.

Notable productions

Motion pictures filmed there include the musicals Hair and The Wiz, and the films Goodfellas, The Money Pit, and Carlito's Way. In 1984, The Jacksons' music video "Torture" was filmed there as well. Many sequences, especially the 'visitation' sequence in 2002 TV mini series Angels in America, were also shot there. A 2009 remake, The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3, also used the studios. In 2011, the remake of Arthur filmed a few scenes there.

Television shows filmed at the studio include Sesame Street, Succession, Orange Is The New Black, Onion News Network, Johnny and the Sprites, Bear in the Big Blue House, Between the Lions, The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss, Oobi, Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego, and its successor Where in Time is Carmen Sandiego? Other projects recorded at the studios have included Judge Judy, Power of 10, The Cosby Show, Cosby, The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, Swans Crossing, Law & Order, Million Dollar Password, the 2009 pilot of The $1,000,000 Pyramid, Video Power, Spin City, Generation Gap and Mariah Carey's MTV Unplugged. WFAN, a local sports radio station owned by Audacy, was formerly based at the studio before moving to lower Manhattan in the fall of 2009.

Performers' images

The walls of the studio are lined with signed images of the performers who have worked in the studios, including Milton Berle, Frank Sinatra, The Marx Brothers, Ginger Rogers, George Burns, Lena Horne, Ethel Merman, Paul Robeson, Lillian Gish, Claudette Colbert, Gloria Swanson, Maurice Chevalier, Jeanette MacDonald, Diana Ross, and Jerry Orbach.

References

References

1. {{NRISref
2. Anuta, Joe. (December 3, 2013). "Kaufman Astoria Studios grows Hollywood-style backlot and matching gate". Crain's New York Business.
3. Elizabeth Spencer-Ralph. (August 1978). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York SP Paramount Studios Complex". National Archives and Records Administration.
4. (November 12, 1975). "Old Par Studio in Astoria Gets Ritual Revival".
5. Allen, Joy. (March 21, 1981). "Koch Aides Vow to Fight for Studio". Newsday.
6. Bennetts, Leslie. (August 3, 1983). "Astoria Studio Revives Film Era in New York". The New York Times.
7. Levere, Jane L.. (June 11, 2008). "Square Feet: A Big New York City Movie Studio Is Getting Bigger". The New York Times.
8. (Summer 2009). "Sesame Street Wedding". Kaufman Astoria Studios.
9. Barbarino, Al. (April 22, 2014). "Kaufman Astoria Studios to Build Eighth Studio". Commercial Observer.
10. Rizza, Nicholas. (July 2, 2020). "Kaufman, Silverstein and Bedrock Unveil $2B Development in Astoria".
11. Brand, David. (July 2, 2020). "Developers propose new five-block residential district near Astoria's Kaufman Studios".
12. Weaver, Shaye. (July 6, 2020). "This massive $2 billion cultural hub could be coming to Astoria".
13. Fitzsimmons, Emma G.. (2022-11-22). "$2 Billion Development in Queens Approved Amid Housing Crisis". The New York Times.
14. Hill, John. (November 22, 2022). "$2 Billion Development in Queens Moves Forward -".
15. Murray, Christian. (June 20, 2022). "Activists Send a Message to Innovation QNS Developers: Queens is Not for Sale".
16. Moro, Julia. (April 22, 2022). "Astoria activists rally against proposed $2 billion Innovation QNS high-rise development".
17. Parry, Bill. (May 26, 2025). "Kaufman Astoria Studios weathers industry slowdown while looking toward a creative future in Queens".
18. Guglielmo, Kristen. (February 6, 2025). "Two buildings, part of Innovation QNS, sold".
19. O’Brien, Shane. (September 5, 2025). "$2 billion Innovation QNS development scrapped, developers to pursue smaller projects".
20. (September 4, 2025). "Massive Queens redevelopment killed by developers".
21. Munoz, Cassandra. (December 6, 2013). "Film Locations: Orange is the New Black".