CBS Studio Building
Encyclopedia
The CBS Studio Building is a seven-story office building at 49 East 52nd Street
in midtown Manhattan that has at various times served as a Vanderbilt family
home, the first graduate school of the Juilliard School
, CBS Radio
studios and Columbia Records
studio.
It is currently owned by the Fisher Brothers who converted it to an office building in conjunction with construction of the 45-story Park Avenue Plaza to its east.
and 52nd. It was designed by Warren & Wetmore.
which had its corporate headquarters across the street at 485 Madison Avenue bought the building at 49 East 52nd Street to move its radio operations, except for the main network newsroom.
Architects Fellheimer & Wagner extensively renovated the building including eliminating the earlier Vanderbilt ornate external features eliminating windows for soundproofing and carved up the building into seven studios including one which could accommodate audiences of 300 as well as symphony orchestras that could broadcast. Arthur Godfrey
broadcast from Studio 21 in the building and had his main office there.
. Frank Sinatra
, Barbra Streisand
, Bob Dylan
(in Spring 1970 for part of his New Morning
album), and Paul Simon
recorded music there.
The facility contained Columbia's "Studio B" on the second floor and "Studio E" on the sixth floor.
CBS Headquarters Building. Radio operations moved to the CBS Broadcast Center
at 524 West 57th Street.
In 1979 the Fisher Brothers acquired the building in conjunction with construction of the Park Avenue Plaza building to its east. In 1988 the building was leased to Sony. A Duane Reade
store opened on the ground level and for several years CBS used the space as offices. In 1995 Fisher undid the 1930's Art Moderne style, replacing the windows and restoring the building to its original Vanderbilt appearance.
52nd Street (Manhattan)
52nd Street is a long one-way street traveling west to east across Midtown Manhattan.-Jazz center:The blocks of 52nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Seventh Avenue were renowned in the mid-20th century for the abundance of jazz clubs and lively street life...
in midtown Manhattan that has at various times served as a Vanderbilt family
Vanderbilt family
The Vanderbilt family is an American family of Dutch origin prominent during the Gilded Age. It started off with the shipping and railroad empires of Cornelius Vanderbilt, and expanded into various other areas of industry and philanthropy...
home, the first graduate school of the Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
, CBS Radio
CBS Radio
CBS Radio, Inc., formerly known as Infinity Broadcasting Corporation, is one of the largest owners and operators of radio stations in the United States, third behind main rival Clear Channel Communications and Cumulus Media. CBS Radio owns around 130 radio stations across the country...
studios and Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
studio.
It is currently owned by the Fisher Brothers who converted it to an office building in conjunction with construction of the 45-story Park Avenue Plaza to its east.
Vanderbilts
It was built in 1908 as a guest house for the Vanderbilts who had a home a block away at Fifth Avenue (Manhattan)Fifth Avenue (Manhattan)
Fifth Avenue is a major thoroughfare in the center of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, New York, United States. The section of Fifth Avenue that crosses Midtown Manhattan, especially that between 49th Street and 60th Street, is lined with prestigious shops and is consistently ranked among...
and 52nd. It was designed by Warren & Wetmore.
Juilliard
In 1924 the Vanderbilts sold it to the Juilliard Musical Foundation where it became Juilliard's first graduate school.CBS Radio
In 1939, CBSCBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
which had its corporate headquarters across the street at 485 Madison Avenue bought the building at 49 East 52nd Street to move its radio operations, except for the main network newsroom.
Architects Fellheimer & Wagner extensively renovated the building including eliminating the earlier Vanderbilt ornate external features eliminating windows for soundproofing and carved up the building into seven studios including one which could accommodate audiences of 300 as well as symphony orchestras that could broadcast. Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Godfrey
Arthur Morton Godfrey was an American radio and television broadcaster and entertainer who was sometimes introduced by his nickname, The Old Redhead...
broadcast from Studio 21 in the building and had his main office there.
Columbia Records
With the advent of television, the radio studios no longer needed the large studios that could accommodate audiences; the focus of the studio shifted to a recording studio for Columbia RecordsColumbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
. Frank Sinatra
Frank Sinatra
Francis Albert "Frank" Sinatra was an American singer and actor.Beginning his musical career in the swing era with Harry James and Tommy Dorsey, Sinatra became an unprecedentedly successful solo artist in the early to mid-1940s, after being signed to Columbia Records in 1943. Being the idol of the...
, Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
, Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
(in Spring 1970 for part of his New Morning
New Morning
New Morning is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan's 11th studio album, released by Columbia Records in October 1970.Coming only four months after the controversial Self Portrait, the more concise and immediate New Morning won a much warmer reception from fans and critics. Most welcome was the return of...
album), and Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
recorded music there.
The facility contained Columbia's "Studio B" on the second floor and "Studio E" on the sixth floor.
Fisher Brothers
In 1965 CBS sold its 485 Madison Avenue headquarters building as well as the 49 East 52nd Street studios and moved to a new office tower two blocks west at 51 West 52nd Street in theCBS Headquarters Building. Radio operations moved to the CBS Broadcast Center
CBS Broadcast Center
The CBS Broadcast Center is a television and radio production facility located in New York City, New York. It is CBS's main East Coast production center, much as Television City in Los Angeles is the West Coast hub.-Overview:...
at 524 West 57th Street.
In 1979 the Fisher Brothers acquired the building in conjunction with construction of the Park Avenue Plaza building to its east. In 1988 the building was leased to Sony. A Duane Reade
Duane Reade
Duane Reade Inc., a subsidiary of the Walgreen Company, is a chain of pharmacy and convenience stores, primarily located in New York City, known for its high volume small store layouts in densely populated Manhattan locations...
store opened on the ground level and for several years CBS used the space as offices. In 1995 Fisher undid the 1930's Art Moderne style, replacing the windows and restoring the building to its original Vanderbilt appearance.
Further reading
- Cogan, Jim; Clark, William, Temples of sound : inside the great recording studios, San Francisco : Chronicle Books, 2003. ISBN 0811833941. Cf. chapter on Columbia Studios, pp.181-192.