Kaufman Astoria Studios
- Year
- 1921
- City
- Queens, NY
Kaufman Astoria Studios in Astoria, Queens, was built in 1920 as the Paramount Studios Complex for Famous Players–Lasky, chosen for its proximity to Manhattan's Theater District. Real estate developer George S. Kaufman took over the property in 1982 and renamed it Kaufman Astoria Studios.
the building
Silent- and sound-era firsts. W. C. Fields made his silent features here between 1920 and 1933. The studio produced the first Sherlock Holmes sound film, The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1929), directed by Basil Dean, and the first two Marx Brothers films, The Cocoanuts (1929) and Animal Crackers (1930).
New York's only backlot. The studio complex is home to New York City's only backlot, which opened in December 2013.
significance
The complex was designated a national historic district and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978, and is also a New York City Landmark.
nearby
- Bliss Theatre
- Steinway House
- Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge Number 878
- Reformed Church of Newtown
- Old Saint James Episcopal Church (Old Saint James Parish Hall)
- Rego Park Jewish Center