One Astor Plaza Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids One Astor Plaza
One Astor Plaza
General information
Type	Office
Location	1515 Broadway, New York, New York 10036, United States
Coordinates	40°45′28″N 73°59′11″W / 40.75778°N 73.98639°W / 40.75778; -73.98639
Construction started	1968
Completed	1972
Opening	circa 1972
Owner	SL Green Realty (53%) Allianz (47%)
Height
Roof	227 m (745 ft)
Technical details
Floor count	54
Floor area	179,487 m² (1,931,980 sq ft)
Design and construction
Architect	Der Scutt of Ely J. Kahn & Jacobs
Developer	Sam Minskoff & Sons, Inc.

The set of Total Request Live in the Uptown Studio

Revlon, Midtown and Downtown Studios & Aeropostale, Billabong, Element and Oakley store

One Astor Plaza is a very tall building, called a skyscraper, located in the famous Times Square area of Midtown Manhattan in New York City. This impressive building has 54 floors and stands about 745 feet (227 meters) tall. It was designed by an architect named Der Scutt.

You can find One Astor Plaza at 1515 Broadway, between West 44th and 45th Streets. Today, it is the main office for ViacomCBS. It also holds the MTV Studios, offices for Revlon and Fashion One, the Minskoff Theatre, and several shops. Before this skyscraper was built, a famous hotel called the Hotel Astor stood on the same spot from 1904 to 1967. Construction of One Astor Plaza started in 1968 and finished in 1972.

The building is owned and managed by a company called SL Green Realty Corporation.

What's Inside One Astor Plaza?
A Quick Look at History
Images for kids
See also

What's Inside One Astor Plaza?

The Minskoff Theatre

The Minskoff Theatre is a well-known Broadway theatre located on the third floor of One Astor Plaza. It was named after the Minskoff family, who developed the building. The theatre opened in 1973 and has 1,621 seats. You can get to it from an arcade in the middle of the building.

MTV Studios and More

One Astor Plaza is home to the MTV Studios, which are owned by ViacomCBS. These studios are a big part of the building. You can also find offices for Revlon and Fashion One here. The MTV studios are on the second floor, which is like a mezzanine level. MTV took over this space in 1997.

The studios were originally divided into three main areas, all with large windows. They were named after different parts of Manhattan: the Uptown Studio, the Midtown Studio, and the Downtown Studio.

The Uptown Studio was famous for hosting MTV's show Total Request Live from 1998 to 2008. It was also used by MTV and VH1. Later, it became an Aéropostale store.
The Midtown Studio is used for various MTV shows and MTV News. It was also used by VH1's Big Morning Buzz Live. Sometimes, even Nickelodeon and Comedy Central use this studio.
The Downtown Studio is the smallest. It is sometimes used for other countdown shows and productions from smaller Viacom networks. It can also be a temporary green room (a waiting area for performers).

The MTV Studios also have dressing rooms, control rooms, a cafeteria, and some offices. In 2020, CBS News started using the MTV Studios space for their news coverage.

Shops and Restaurants

The first floor of One Astor Plaza has many different shops and places to eat. In the past, it had stores like Oakley, Billabong, Element Skateboards, and an Aéropostale store. Today, you can find shops like Oakley, Ray-Ban, Skechers, Tissot Watches, Kiko Milano, Line Friends, and a Junior's restaurant.

The Former PlayStation Theater

Below the street level, One Astor Plaza used to have a large movie theater called the Loews Astor Plaza. It opened in 1974 and was the biggest cinema in the city with 1,440 seats. This theater closed in 2004.

After a big renovation, the space reopened as a music venue. It was known as the PlayStation Theater (and before that, Nokia Theatre Times Square and Best Buy Theater). The PlayStation Theater closed its doors on December 31, 2019.

A Quick Look at History

On May 1, 2010, a suspicious vehicle was found near One Astor Plaza on West 45th Street and Broadway. The New York City Police Department quickly responded and safely handled the situation, preventing any harm.