Schrom Studios is a television production and film studio designed by hanrahan Meyers architects in 2001.  The project is located in the Silvercup Building in Queens, New York, which is owned and operated by the Suna family, with Alan Suna as the CEO of Silvercup Studios. 

Silvercup Studios is a major player in the New York City area of Astoria that has become known as ‘Hollywood east’.  Alan Suna, the Silvercup CEO, is planning a $1 Billion expansion of Silvercup Studios.  Above we are showing the view of hanrahan Meyers architects' (hMa's) design for Schrom Studios, featuring a new, glass enclosed conference room in the foreground.  hMa opened new skylights as part of their design for Schrom Studios, including a new skylight centered above the conference room.  hMa then shaped the ceiling structure of the conference room to have a cone shaped form which opens to the skylight above, bringing natural light into the studio below. 

Silvercup Studios was made famous as the production site of the award-winning television series, “The Sopranos” and “Sex and the City”.  Shown above is the public 'test kitchen' for Schrom Studios, where the Owners make food dishes that are featured in commercials and other films made by Schrom Studios.

The Silvercup expansion comes amidst a boom in movie and television production in New York City triggered by city and state credits enacted for film producers since 1976.  Shown above is hMa's 'light wall', a 5' deep wall with an egress corridor in the lower level, but which was simply open, wasted space above. hMa took advantage of the depth of the wall to create a new 'light wall' to add an interesting feature to Schrom Studios' gallery area, in the foreground.  Michael Schrom uses this area to host gallery openings and other public events.

 

Shown above is hMa's design for a free-standing maple stair which leads to Schrom's newly designed second story work mezzanine. The stair, designed and built as a solid wood object, leads to a an open steel grid walkway, which leads to the second story mezzanine, to the west.  In the background is the Schrom television studio space, separated from the gallery by a 17' tall glass and steel wall.  The entire wall is movable and was fabricated custom for the project.  The curtain which closes to give the studio the ability to darken and be removed from the open gallery space, is green leather, and was made custom for the space. 

For more on this story, read the articles “Silvercup unveils $1 Billion Expansion Plan" (Queens Gazette) and "Silvercup Studios Sets $1 Billion Complex" (New York Times).  To read more about Schrom Studios, visit hMa's website, www.hanrahanMeyers.com.