I.andrnarks Preservation Commission November 1, 1988; Designation List 211 I.P-1566 PARAMOUNI' BUIIDING, 1493-1501 Broadway, Borough of Manhattan. Built 1926- 27; architects Rapp & Rapp. I.andrnark Site: Borough of Manhattan Tax Map Block 1015, I.ot 29. On November 12, 1985, The I.andrnarks Preservation Commission held a public hearing on the proposed designation as a I.andrnark of the Paramount Building and the proposed designation of the related Landmark Site (Item No. 21). The hearing had been duly advertised in accordance with the provisions of law. Three witnesses spoke in favor of designation. Two witnesses (representing the owner) spoke in opposition to designation. The Connnission has received one letter in favor of and one letter opposed to designation. DFSCRIPI'ION AND ANALYSIS Located in the heart of Times Square, the Paramount Building made a significant contribution to the development of the world-famous theater and entertainment district. Built in 1926-27 and designed by the finn of Rapp & Rapp, who were among the best-known and most prolific designers of elaborate movie theaters in the 1920s, it served as the Eastern headquarters for the Famous Players-Lasky Corporation, (forerunner of Paramount Pictures), whose entrepreneurial founders played a major role in promoting the revolutionary motion picture medium. The building's distinctive massing is exemplary of the innovative setback skyscraper type of the 1920s, while the ornamental details are classically inspired, a hallmark of Rapp & Rapp's style. The striking silhouette of the upper stories is enhanced by four giant clock faces, which were conceived to create a memorable image of the the Paramount trademark in the minds of moviegoers, and a crowning glass globe. 'lhe Paramount Building, which once housed the Paramount Theater, stands as as an important reminder of Times Square's boom in the 1920s during the early years of the motion picture industry. The Histo:ry of Times Sguare1 The Times Square area, recognized world-wide as a major entertainment center, has played an important role in the cultural life of New York City in the twentieth century. Known today as the Broadway theater district, this area encompasses the largest concentration of legitimate playhouses in the world. With the meteoric rise of the the motion picture industry, Times Square in the 1920s was also transfonned by the arrival of elaborate and luxurious movie theaters, or ''palaces," which celebrated this popular and new fonn of entertainment. Corrplete with fashionable hotels such as the Hotel Astor (demolished), restaurants, and dance halls, Times Square began early in this century to attract visitors and New Yorkers alike to its thriving night life. The area also became home to scenery, lighting, and costume companies, and the offices of agents and producers, thus creating a 1

busy hub of activity in all branches of the entertairnnent business. It was fitting, therefore, that the Famous Players-Iasky Corporation, (now Paramount Pictures) while still in its infancy selected Times Square for its Fast Coast headquarters and showcase theater. The development of the Times Square area was primarily a result of the steady northward movement of Manhattan's population, abetted by the growth of mass transportation. A district of fannlands and rural sunnner homes in the early 1800s, long Acre Square (now Times Square) evolved into an urban center following the opening of the Grand Central Depot and the completion of the Third and Sixth Avenue Elevated Railways in 1871. In 1904, New York's subway system began operation, with a major station at Broadway and 42nd Street. At this time, the area was also renamed Times Square in honor of the recently erected Times Building. 2 The theater district, which had existed in the midst of stores, hotels, and commercial buildings along lower Broadway for most of the nineteenth century, moved northward along Broadway in stages, locating first at Union Square, th

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