1501 Broadway
There is also a five-story arch on Broadway, facing Times Square, which leads to a Hard Rock Cafe; it is an imitation of the former Paramount Theatre entrance.[9][10] The Putnam Building had long been occupied by theatrical agencies[12] and, before its demolition in 1925, had a large electric sign measuring 200 by 50 feet (61 by 15 m) on its facade.[13][14] The western part of the site was occupied by a group of brownstones, operated by the Astor family as a set of apartments called Westover Court.The replica marquee, measuring 39 feet (12 m) wide, is made of three glass panels, reinforced with plastic and finished in bronze.[31] Prior to 2018,[33] the main office entrance was just north of the center bay along Broadway; the opening still exists but leads to a retail space.[38][39] During World War II, the globe and clock were painted black to maintain blackout conditions for fear of an enemy invasion.[20][38] 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.[8][30][52] The hall's design features were also inspired by that of the Paris Opera House's foyer, with white marble columns, balustrades, and a grand staircase flanking the hallway.[47] The theater was decorated in rose, turquoise, and ivory colors,[8][50] with red and gold draperies, as well as a cyclorama-style wall at the rear of the stage.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.The private offices of Famous Players–Lasky cofounders Adolph Zukor and Jesse L. Lasky were decorated with walnut-paneled walls, separated by wide moldings.[69][70] 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.[55] The tenants of Westover Court were asked to leave the site by the beginning of June 1925,[77][78] and the Putnam Building was to be demolished by that October.[79] To celebrate the project, Famous Players–Lasky held a barbecue in the nearby Hotel Astor that August, serving oxen and lamb that had been roasted over Westover Court's ruins.[7][57] 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.[100][101] This was part of a three-day celebration of Broadway's 300th anniversary,[102] which included an event in which thousands of balloons were released from the roof of the office tower.Paramount executives frequently patronized the shops, including a 3rd-story barbershop, the Childs Restaurant in the basement, and a Walgreens pharmacy at ground level.[135] William Zeckendorf Jr. of the firm Webb & Knapp offered to buy 1501 Broadway in June 1964, with plans to replace the Paramount Theatre with an exhibit hall and office space.[167][168] 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.[172] This led Sharp to withdraw from the proposed sale,[173] allowing Caplin to proceed with selling the building at a foreclosure auction.[183][62] As part of the renovation, the Paramount Theatre was dismantled and turned into office space, and the archway leading to the theater was removed.[56] A branch of the New York Bank for Savings opened in the base in early 1968, while construction was still ongoing, forcing the tellers to wear hard hats.[187] Newmark & Company managed the building on behalf of Arlen, signing ten-year leases for the expanded office stories.[61] Major tenants in the newly converted offices included The New York Times,[61] the Offtrack Betting Corporation,[188] Lane Bryant,[189] and the Metropolitan Diagnostic Institute.[194] In 1996, Newmark received permission from the LPC to restore the clock and globe atop the building and the large arch on Broadway.[200] Following Planet Hollywood's financial troubles,[201] it sold the basement and first-floor space to World Wrestling Federation Entertainment (WWF; later WWE) in July 1999 for $9 million.[210] Paramount Leasehold LP, the building's owner, obtained a $130 million mortgage from Cantor Commercial Real Estate in 2013.[33] The lobby relocation was completed in mid-2018,[33][217] after which Newmark signed leases with tenants such as the KIPP Foundation and the American Federation of Musicians.[216] JPMorgan Chase gave Levin and Newmark a $200 million loan for 1501 Broadway in early 2020,[220][221] and the owners began adding a tenant lounge on the third story that year.[226] 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".
One Astor PlazaParamount PlazaParamount PicturesBeaux-ArtsArt decoTimes SquareBroadwayManhattanCoordinatesHard Rock CaféRapp and RappFamous Players–LaskyThompson-Starrett CompanyNew York City LandmarkTheater DistrictNew York Citysetbacks1916 Zoning ResolutionParamount TheatreNewmark & CompanyfacadeHard Rock CafeNew York City designated landmarkMidtown ManhattanSeventh Avenueland lotfrontageBroadway theatres229 West 43rd StreetHayes TheaterSt. James TheatreMajestic TheatreBroadhurst TheatreShubert Theatre1530 Broadway1500 Broadway4 Times SquareOne Times Square3 Times SquareAmerican Airlines TheatreLyric TheatreNew Victory TheaterAmerican Revolutionary WarIsrael PutnamAstor familyThompson–Starrett Co.general contractorWoolworth BuildingNeo-RenaissancemassingelevationsmarqueerusticatedspandrelsscrollsfestoonsrosetteslintelcornerstoneRichard E. Byrdacroteriaparapetsfinialsconsolesclock facesfriezeWorld War IIfoundationmail chutevaulted ceilingChemical National BankfinishThomas EdisonVersaillesParis Opera HouseSun KingcycloramaprosceniumWurlitzertrussesburledAdolph ZukorJesse L. Laskycasement windowsstained glassthe Great DepressionBalaban and KatzSam KatzPublixParamount StudiosQueensMotion Picture NewsHotel Astormortgagewater maingas mainJimmy Walkertopped outFilippo CremonesiBenito MussoliniWestern Union Telegraph CompanyEducational Film Corporation of AmericaChemical BankChilds RestaurantsNew York Stock ExchangeWalgreensFusion PartyPrudential InsurancereceivershipprincipalBuddy HollyFrank SinatraAmerican Broadcasting-Paramount TheatresWilliam Zeckendorf Jr.Webb & KnappEvelyn SharpMortimer M. CaplinGulf & WesternArlen PropertiesNew York Bank for SavingsThe New York TimesLane BryantInternal Revenue ServiceHardesty & HanoverHumanitiesNew York City Landmarks Preservation Commission