CBS 30th Street Studio

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The CBS 30th Street Studio , also known as Columbia 30th Street Studio or "The Church", was an American recording studio which the company Columbia Records used from 1948 to 1981. It was located in Manhattan , New York City , at 207 East 30th Street, between Second Avenue and Third Avenue .

The studio has been called the best sounding room of its time by the music industry. Some specialists even consider it the most important recording studio in history.

There were recordings in all genres, including classical, jazz and pop albums

prehistory

The building was originally called Adams-Parkhurst Memorial Presbyterian Church and belonged to Madison Square Presbyterian Church . It was designed by the architect J. Cleaveland Cady and inaugurated on March 28, 1875. Several groups later used the building, including a German Lutheran congregation, the Armenian Evangelical Church (1896–1921) and the radio station WLIB (1944–1952).

Recording studio

The former church stood empty for a few years and was finally converted into a recording studio by Columbia Records in 1948. In a 2002 essay for Stereophile magazine, John Marks wrote, “There was one big room, and no other place in which to record.” (There was one big room and no other place to record.)

The recording studio was 100 feet high and had a large floor space as a recording area. The control room for the sound control room was on the second floor and measured only 8 × 14 feet (approximately 2.4 × 4.3 m). The control room was later moved to the ground floor. Jim Reeves, a sound engineer who had worked there, later recalled: "It was huge and the room sound was incredible, by the fact that, aside from the artistry, how clean the audio system was." (He was huge, and the surround sound was amazing by the fact - apart from the art - how clean the audio system was.)

End and demolition

When the deal between Columbia and the studio ended in 1982, Columbia wanted to buy the studio, but was unable to raise the $ 250,000 purchase price requested for the building. Before that, there had been various differences because the owner had imposed restrictions on CBS, for example by closing at 10 p.m. in the evening.

The owner eventually sold the property for $ 1.2 million. The building was later demolished and a ten-story house called "The Wilshire" was built on the site and was completed in 1985.

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