1540 Broadway
1540 Broadway (known as the Bertelsmann Building until late 2013)[3] is a 44-story, 733 foot (223 m) office tower at West 45th Street in Times Square in Manhattan, New York City.[2] Started in 1989 and finished in 1990, the tower is one of the few in Times Square to contain class A office space.[2][1]
| 1540 Broadway | |
|---|---|
 | |
| |
| General information | |
| Type | Office [1] |
| Location | Times Square, New York City, United States[2] |
| Coordinates | 40°45′29″N 73°59′05″W |
| Construction started | 1989[1] |
| Completed | 1990[2][1] |
| Opening | 1990 |
| Owner | Vornado Realty Trust (Retail & signage) CBRE Group (Office) |
| Management | CBRE Group[2] |
| Height | |
| Antenna spire | 733 ft (223 m)[2][1] |
| Roof | 616 ft (188 m)[1] |
| Top floor | 564 ft (172 m) |
| Technical details | |
| Floor count | 44[2] |
| Floor area | 1,100,000 sq ft (100,000 m2)[1] |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect | Skidmore, Owings and Merrill[2] |
| Developer | Ian Bruce Eichner[1] |
Tenants
The building was the North American headquarters of media conglomerate Bertelsmann from 1992 until the company vacated and sold the property, of which they occupied all office-use floors, in 2004.[2][1] The building housed US satellites of central functions such as Corporate Development, Corporate Communications and the Office of the Chairman and CEO, as well as serving as worldwide headquarters for the Bertelsmann Music Group and Bertelsmann Book Group (what has later taken on the umbrella brand name Random House). Current office tenants include ViacomCBS, China Central Television, KEMP Technologies, Adobe and Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman.[4] Retail tenants are Planet Hollywood, MAC Cosmetics, Disney Store, and Forever 21.[2][1]
In the 1990s, Random House looked to build a skyscraper across 45th Street from its parent and be connected to it via a neon-lighted bridge across 45th Street.[5] When the deal fell through, it built the Random House Tower 10 blocks uptown.
The building's location was formerly the site of Loew's State Theatre (1921) and Bartholdi Inn (1899), then New York's best-known theatrical boarding house.
References
- "Bertelsmann Building". SkyscraperPage.com. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
- "Bertelsmann Building". Emporis.com. Retrieved January 10, 2008.
- Dunlap, David W. (April 25, 1993). "Debacle on Times Square". New York Times.
- Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman
- Bagli, Charles V. (February 4, 1999). "55th Street Is Said to Be Site For a Random House Tower". The New York Times.
Further reading
- Jerry Adler (1994). High Rise: How 1,000 Men and Women Worked Around the Clock for Five Years and Lost $200 Million Building a Skyscraper, HarperCollins. ISBN 0-06-092456-X
