One Astor Plaza

One Astor Plaza
Map
General information
TypeOffice
Location1515 Broadway, New York, New York 10036
Coordinates40°45′28″N 73°59′11″W / 40.75778°N 73.98639°W / 40.75778; -73.98639
Construction started1969
Completed1972
OpeningMay 26, 1971
OwnerSL Green Realty (53%) Allianz (47%)[1]
Height
Roof745 ft (227 m)
Technical details
Floor count54
Floor area1,721,814 sq ft (160,000 m2)
Design and construction
Architect(s)Der Scutt
DeveloperSam Minskoff & Sons, Inc.

One Astor Plaza, also known as 1515 Broadway and formerly the W. T. Grant Building, is a 54-story office building on Times Square in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. Designed by Der Scutt of Ely J. Kahn & Jacobs, the building was developed by Sam Minskoff and Sons. One Astor Plaza occupies a site bounded by Broadway to the east, 45th Street to the north, Shubert Alley to the west, and 44th Street to the south. The building is named for the Hotel Astor, which had occupied the site from 1904 to 1967. SL Green Realty and Allianz own One Astor Plaza, which as of 2022 serves as the headquarters for Paramount Global (previously ViacomCBS).

The building consists of a low base that occupies most of the site, as well as a 745-foot-tall (227 m) tower section with smaller floor areas. The facade is designed in glass and stone, with large signs. The upper stories have dark glass windows, with stone mechanical shafts on all sides of the tower. The lower stories contain a public passageway and retail at ground level, as well as a lobby and Paramount Global's Studio 1515 at the second story. The building was constructed with two theaters: a Broadway house called the Minskoff Theatre on the third floor, as well as a cinema in the basement (now an event venue called Palladium Times Square).

Sam Minskoff and Sons bought the Hotel Astor site in 1966 and initially proposed a 50-story tower without any theaters. Following a series of discussions, the Minskoff Theatre was included in exchange for additional floor area. Construction began on October 10, 1968, and the first tenants moved into the building in May 1971, with the building being completed the next year. One Astor Plaza was originally named for its anchor tenant, the W. T. Grant retail chain, which only occupied the space until 1976. Tishman Speyer and the Equitable Life Assurance Society bought One Astor Plaza in 1984. Tishman Speyer sold its ownership stake in 1990, just before Equitable filed a bankruptcy proceeding against the building, which was withdrawn after a lawsuit. Viacom leased space at One Astor Plaza starting in 1990, and its successors gradually came to occupy most of the building. SL Green Realty has owned or co-owned the building in some capacity since 2003.

  1. ^ "Allianz deal values 1515 Broadway at $1.95B". November 14, 2017. Archived from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved December 27, 2018.