W50s Neighborhood Association
The building at 1710 Broadway, between West 54th and West 55th, was designed in 1919 by the celebrated architect Albert Kahn for the Ford Motor Company and was best known in recent decades as the longtime home of Bad Boy Entertainment. When demolition plans surfaced, the West 50s Neighborhood Association challenged the Landmarks Preservation Commission’s decision to deny the building landmark status. The coalition to save and repurpose 1710 Broadway was organized and led by W50s NA board member Suzanne Johnson to safeguard our West 50s historic character and to confront pressing environmental concerns and escalating density problems.
The historic, cultural, and architectural significance of 1710 Broadway was acknowledged and supported by Borough President Mark Levine; State Assembly Member Tony Simone; NYC Council Members Erik Bottcher, Gale Brewer, and Keith Powers; the Historic Districts Council; the CB5 Landmarks Committee and full board; the ILGWU; Workers United; the Albert Kahn Foundation; The City Club; and neighborhood residential boards and residents.
Despite that breadth of support, the building was sold and demolished. RIU Hotels purchased the site in 2023, demolition was completed in the summer of 2024, and a 54-story, 673-room hotel tower is now rising in its place, permanently changing the residential block of West 54th Street and our West 50s neighborhood.
The fight did not end with the building. The new tower’s West 54th Street face sits outside the Times Square signage district, and early renderings showed large LED signage at its base. The Association monitors sign filings at the site every week, working to keep Times Square signage from creeping into residential blocks. That work continues directly across the street in our Ameritania sign campaign.
The West 50s NA continues to fight to protect our cultural and historically significant residential neighborhood in the face of commercial development prioritization and the realities of our location between Times Square and Central Park.
Want to be part of the effort?
Join your neighbors in advocating for the West 50s. No dues. No obligations.