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Image source: Rockwell Group/Archtagon – an artist’s rendering of the main gate for Kaufman Astoria Studios on 35th Ave in Astoria

They NY Times City Room blog turned its eye toward Astoria last week, focusing on Kaufman Astoria Studios, who are getting new gates for their block of 36th Street. This street – between 34th and 35th Avenues – has been de-mapped since June 2012, but these gates will close off the street to the public (including pedestrians and vehicular traffic), similar to the way the movie studios in Hollywood operate. Emergency vehicles will be allowed through, according to studio officials.

This back lot will give the studio 34,800 square feet to work with, at 60 feet wide and 580 feet long. It will allow the studio to consolidate its two buildings on either side of the street. Apparently the location of this lot was “exactly where many outdoor scenes were filmed in the 1920s and ’30s for movies that are themselves long forgotten.”

Additional bonuses for the studio and the city:

Studio executives and city officials envision it as an alternative to some of the location filming that snarls neighborhoods and tests New Yorkers’ patience. It would offer filmmakers a controlled outdoor environment on which temporary sets could be constructed, stunts and car chases could be staged and large-scale equipment could be used.

Now, we’ve read and heard with our own ears the mixed feelings some folks have about the studio taking over a public street. The studio will be paying for its use of this land from both a rent and tax standpoint. Starting in 2015, they’ll start paying rent for the land, beginning at $140,000 each year, and rents will increase every five years. As for real estate taxes, the studio has made some payments to the city – $33,137 annually – and like rents, these payments will increase, though on a yearly basis.

It’s very possible that this change will bring jobs and a boost to the economy. If anything, it shows that the NYC film and TV industry is strong and will continue to grow. Now if only Kaufman would start giving regular tours, like their Hollywood counterparts – that would be cool (we know, because we’ve been on a private tour before – seeing the Sesame Street set in person is rad).

As for the gates themselves, they should be built and completed by summer, costing between $2 and $3 million. The main gate on 35th Ave will serve double duty and “would include a steel truss 40 feet above the street that can double as a working catwalk for outdoor productions.”

Queens Loses a Street and Gains a Slice of Hollywood [NYT]
Funding Approved For Kaufman Astoria Studios Lot [Queens Gazette]


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