Brill Building facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Brill Building
Seen in 2021
General information
Type	Office building
Location	1619 Broadway, Manhattan, New York
Coordinates	40°45′40″N 73°59′04″W / 40.7611°N 73.9845°W / 40.7611; -73.9845
Opening	1931
Technical details
Floor count	11
Floor area	175,000 sq ft (16,300 m2)
Design and construction
Developer	Victor Bark Jr.
Main contractor	Abraham E. Lefcourt
New York City Landmark
Designated	March 23, 2010
Reference no.	2387

The Brill Building is a famous office building located at 1619 Broadway in New York City. It's in the Manhattan area, near Times Square. The building was finished in 1931. It was first called the Alan E. Lefcourt Building, named after the son of its builder, Abraham E. Lefcourt. Victor Bark Jr. designed the building. It has 11 floors and lots of space for offices.

The Brill Building is well-known because it was once a major center for the music industry. Many popular American songs were written and produced here. In the early 1960s, it was like the heart of pop music. The name "Brill" comes from a clothing store owner who bought the building. In 2013, the building was bought by a new company and got a makeover. Today, a CVS Pharmacy is on the first two floors.

Music in the Brill Building

Before World War II, the Brill Building became a very busy place for popular music. Many music publishers and songwriters had offices there. Publishers would send people called "song pluggers" to bands and radio stations. These pluggers would sing or play new songs. They wanted to convince bands to perform their music.

During a time when some music was not allowed on the radio (the ASCAP boycott of 1941), many songwriters used fake names. This helped their songs still get played.

Brill Building songs were often at the top of the Billboard charts. Famous bands of the time played them:

• The Benny Goodman Orchestra
• The Glenn Miller Orchestra
• The Jimmy Dorsey Orchestra
• The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra

Some of the music publishers who had offices there included:

• Leo Feist Inc.
• Lewis Music Publishing
• Mills Music Publishing

Many talented writers worked in the Brill Building during this era:

The "Brill Building Sound"

Entryway (2008)

The name "Brill Building Sound" describes a popular style of American music from the late 1950s and 1960s. This music was influenced by Latin, Traditional black gospel, and rhythm and blues sounds. Many important music companies were in New York. The Brill Building was seen as a very important place for music professionals. However, the "Brill Building Sound" name can be a bit misleading. Much of this music also came from other nearby buildings, like 1650 Broadway.

By 1962, the Brill Building had 165 music businesses! A musician could do almost everything there. They could record a demo, find a publisher, and even get their music promoted. This creative energy helped define the "Brill Building Sound." It was a special way of writing and recording pop songs.

Carole King, a famous songwriter, described what it was like:

Every day we squeezed into our small offices. There was just enough room for a piano, a bench, and maybe a chair for the writer. You would write and hear someone next door writing a song just like yours. There was a lot of pressure. The music boss would say: "We need a new hit song!" We would all go back and write. The next day, we would show our songs to the producer.

The "Brill Building approach" changed how pop music was made. Instead of relying on unpredictable singers, songs were written by professional writers. These writers created music and lyrics specifically for teen audiences. This method gave more power back to the publishers and record labels. The singers became less important in creating the music.

Famous Writers

Many of the best songs from this time were written by teams of songwriters and producers. These teams, often duos, had huge success. Many were friends or even married couples. They often worked together in different combinations. Some, like Carole King and Neil Diamond, even recorded their own hit songs.

Here are some of the talented writers:

Other musicians who worked in the Brill Building include:

Hundreds of hit songs came from this group. Some examples are "Maybe I Know", "Yakety Yak", "Save the Last Dance for Me", "The Look of Love", "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do", "Devil in Disguise", "The Loco-Motion", "Supernatural Thing", "We Gotta Get Out of This Place", and "River Deep, Mountain High".

Studio Musicians

Many talented studio musicians helped create the Brill Building sound. They played instruments on countless recordings.

• Arrangers/Conductors: Teacho Wiltshire, Garry Sherman, Alan Lorber, Jimmy Wisner, Artie Butler, Claus Ogerman, Stan Applebaum
• Bass: George Duvivier, Milt Hinton, Russ Savakus, Bob Bushnell, Joe Macho Jr, Al Lucas, Dick Romoff, James Tyrell, Jimmy Lewis, Lloyd Trotman, Wendell Marshall, Chuck Rainey
• Guitar: George Barnes, Al Gorgoni, Carl Lynch, Trade Martin, Bucky Pizzarelli, Everett Barksdale, Bill Suyker, Vinnie Bell, Al Caiola, Al Casamenti, Art Ryerson, Eric Gale, Ralph Casale, Charles Macey, Hugh McCracken, Wally Richardson, Don Arnone, Charles McCracken, Allan Hanlon, Sal Ditroia, Kenny Burrell, Mundell Lowe, Cornell Dupree, Mickey Baker
• Keyboards: Ernie Hayes, Paul Griffin, Leroy Glover, Frank Owens, Allan H. Nurse, Bernie Leighton, Artie Butler, Stan Free
• Drums: Gary Chester, Buddy Saltzman, Sticks Evans, Herbie Lovelle, Panama Francis, Al Rogers, Bobby Gregg, Sol Gubin, Bernard Purdie
• Saxophone: Artie Kaplan, Frank Heywood Henry, Phil Bodner, Jerome Richardson, Romeo Penque, King Curtis, Seldon Powell, Sam "the Man" Taylor, Buddy Lucas
• Trombone: Jimmy Cleveland, Frank Saracco, Benny Powell, Wayne Andre, Tony Studd, Micky Gravine, Urbie Green, Frank Rehak
• Trumpet: Jimmy Nottingham, Ernie Royal, Jimmy Maxwell, Bernie Glow, Irwin "Marky" Markowitz, Jimmy Sedlar, Dud Bascomb, Lammar Wright Jr, Burt Collins, Joe Shepley
• Percussion: George Devens, Phil Kraus, Bobby Rosengarden, Willie Rodriguez, Martin Grupp
• Engineers: Brooks Arthur, Eddie Smith, Bruce Staple, Phil Ramone, Gordy Clark, Mickey Crofford, Tom Dowd, Bill MacMeekin, Ron Johnson.

Aldon Music (1650 Broadway)

Many famous writers got their start at Aldon Music. This was a music publishing company started in 1958 by Al Nevins and Don Kirshner. Aldon Music was not in the Brill Building itself. It was just a block away at 1650 Broadway. Many Brill Building writers also worked at 1650 Broadway. This building also had record labels for many years.

Toni Wine, another musician, explained:

There were two big buildings with music companies, songwriters, and artists. The Brill Building was one. But many rock & roll labels and studios were at 1650 Broadway. They were very close to each other.

Businesses in the Buildings

Many music companies and other businesses were located in these two important buildings.

1619 Broadway (Brill Building)

• Broadway Video
• Postworks LLC/Orbit Digital
• Famous Music
• Fiesta Records
• Coed Records, Inc.
• Mills Music
• Clock Records
• Southern Music
• Red Bird Records
• TM Music
• SoundOne
• Sound Mixers
• Helios Music/Glamorous Music
• KMA Music
• New Vision Communications
• Paul Simon Music
• Key Brand Entertainment
• Maggie Vision Productions
• Alexa Management
• TSQ LLC
• Mission Big
• Studio Center

1650 Broadway

Building Changes and Today

The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC) made the Brill Building a special landmark in December 2010. This means it is protected because of its history.

In 2017, a restaurant chain thought about opening in the building. But a CVS Pharmacy ended up leasing space instead. The CVS opened in 2019. In 2020, the LPC approved plans to add new signs to the building. They also approved changes for a TD Bank branch.

In 2023, the ownership of the Brill Building changed hands.

See also

In Spanish: Brill Building para niños

• National Register of Historic Places listings in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets
• List of New York City Designated Landmarks in Manhattan from 14th to 59th Streets