Talmadge / Comique Studios Demolished

[Paul E. Gierucki]

It would appear that another landmark building has been lost.

318 E. 48th Street in Manhattan, former home to the Norma & Constance Talmadge Studios, Roscoe Arbuckle's Comique, and location of Buster Keaton's first film appearance, is now a vacant lot. No clue why the building was demolished.

-- Paul E. Gierucki

[Richard M Roberts]

Have you any pictures of the building of more recent vintage before it was torn down?

RICHARD M ROBERTS

[Ed Watz]

This is rather scary - my wife and I were just at that garage next door to 318 on Tuesday -- we live 60 miles away but had to visit the German Consulate around the corner from East 48th. While we were waiting to get our car in the garage I remarked that the old Comique Studios had been situated somewhere very close by...

The entire area is within the perimeter of the United Nations complex. There's almost nothing else around but consulate buildings and limousines with diplomatic license plates.

[Ed Watz]

Have you any pictures of the building of more recent vintage before it was torn down?

RICHARD M ROBERTS

Just found this on the NYC Dept of Records site, 318 East 48th Street was photographed for tax purposes sometime in the early 1980's:

1980s tax rcds 318 e 48 st manhattan.jpg (185.24 KiB) Viewed 21924 times

[Ed Watz]

Found this undated press release online:

"Manhattan, NY The Republic of Singapore has purchased 318 East 48th St., a 45,000 s/f garage that will be converted to a UN Mission. The sale price was $29.5 million. Newmark Knight Frank's (NKF) Howard Kesseler and David Noonan represented the building's previous owner, Chapman Consulting Group, along with Justin DiMare, Jordan Gosin and Jennifer Schwartzman. Gil Robinov of NAI Global represented the buyer. Legal counsel were Samuel Ross of Olshan Grundman Frome Rosenzweig & Wolosky for Chapman and Andrew Odell of Duane Morris for Singapore.The property sits on a 7,537 s/f lot on the south side of East 48th St., between First and Second Aves. It features a 75-ft. frontage on East 48th St. Singapore will reconfigure the building to house its Mission to the U.N."

As a former employer of mine used to say -- "Bastages!"

[Gary Johnson]

Meanwhile, in Los Angeles the new owners of The Lot -- previously the Pickford-Fairbanks studio -- want to completely modernize this popular rental facility by tearing down and replacing all of the buildings inside with a new modern look. People in the Industry are up in arms over it but seem powerless to stop them. And over in Hollywood developers want to raze blocks and blocks along Hollywood Blvd to put up highrises that would dwarf the Hollywood sign. Preservationists have their work cut out for them in Southern Cal.