National Register of Historic Places

Film Center Building

New York, New York County, New York
Listed
September 6, 1984
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
84002768

About this property

The Film Center Building, also known as 630 Ninth Avenue, is a 13-story office building on the east side of Ninth Avenue between 44th and 45th Streets in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. Built in 1928–1929, the structure has historically catered to businesses involved in film, theater, television and music and audio production. The building was designed in the Art Deco style, with Ely Jacques Kahn as the architect of record. The lobby's interior is a New York City landmark, and the building is on the National Register of Historic Places. The Film Center Building occupies a rectangular site. Its facade is largely made of brown brick, with windows on all sides, although the ground story has a marble facade and the second story has a white-stone facade. The main entrance on Ninth Avenue leads to a rectangular vestibule, which in turn leads to the main lobby, an elevator lobby, and a passageway leading to a secondary entrance. The lobby's walls and ceilings resemble tapestries, while details such as stair risers, ventilation grilles, directory signs, and elevator doors were designed in a multicolored scheme. The upper stories contain offices, which were initially used largely by major film companies such as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. There were also nearly 100 film vaults, some of which have been converted to office space over the years. In the 1910s and 1920s, New York City's film industry was centered around Times Square, prompting developer Abe N. Adelson to acquire a site for a film-distribution building in April 1928. Tenants began moving to the building in January 1929, coinciding with the construction of other film-exchange buildings in the immediate vicinity. The Film Center Building was sold at a foreclosure auction in 1936 and was subsequently sold again in 1950. By the mid-20th century, television and independent film producers began taking space there. The First Republic Bank bought the Film Center Building in 1968, and Newmark & Company acquired it in 1971. GFP Real Estate, which split from Newmark & Company, further renovated the Film Center Building in the 2010s.

Location

630--9th St.
New York, New York County, New York
40.75989, -73.99116

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

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Nearby Battles

Battle of Kip's Bay
1776Revolutionary War
1.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Film Center Building listed on the National Register?

Film Center Building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on September 6, 1984.

What type of historic resource is Film Center Building?

Film Center Building is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Film Center Building?

The period of significance for Film Center Building is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Film Center Building?

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