Kaufman Astoria Studios Are Expanding

Rendering of the proposed Kaufman building.

The folks at the Kaufman Astoria Studios are preparing to raise the curtain on Act II of development at the historic site. Studio officials say they are ready to begin construction of a building that will house an 18,000-square-foot stage, along with 22,000-square-feet of wardrobe, makeup, production and office space in a vacant lot located across from the studio's 36th Street headquarters.

The new stage will complement the existing six-stage Kaufman complex, which boasts the largest sound stage production facility on the East Coast.

Stars the likes of Bert and Ernie, Big Bird and Elmo of "Sesame Street" entered the huge glass doors at the Kaufman Astoria Studios, where they broadcast their talents to millions of children and it's rumored that Bill Cosby's afternoon naps stopped carpenters from hammering final touches onto props and scenery. Diana Ross followed the Yellow Brick Road in "The Wiz," while Paul Newman stumbled through his role as an inebriated attorney in "The Verdict" when filmmaking returned to the Kaufman Astoria Studios in the early 1980s.

The studios fell into neglect after the U.S. Army moved from the site in 1975, but George Kaufman rescued them thanks to private and city funding. The lot where the new building will rise once housed concrete bunkers filled with reels of military films, shot on the nitrate-based film used by the Army during World War II. The site, which received a clean bill of health from city and state environmental agencies, is currently awaiting groundbreaking ceremonies slated for late summer 2007. Construction of the new building is expected to take approximately one year to complete.

Funding for the new stage has been made possible by a partnership between the city, state and private investors, studio officials said.- Liz Goff