Minskoff Theatre

The Minskoff Theatre sits thirty-five feet above the ground, tucked away on the third floor of the fifty-five-story One Astor Plaza office tower. When developers planned this skyscraper in the late nineteen sixties, they faced a choice between building a standard office block or securing extra height by including a theater in the design. They chose the latter, and as a result, the entire eastern section of this massive skyscraper is supported by the roof of the theater auditorium. This unconventional arrangement helped usher in a new era for the neighborhood by integrating cultural venues directly into high-rise development.