Actors Studio

History and architecture

The Actors Studio building, constructed as a small neighborhood church for the Seventh Associate Presbyterians, shortly after the congregation purchased the land in 1858, is a fine and rare example of a vernacular Greek Revival structure in Manhattan which has survived in a remarkably intact condition. Maintained by its original congregation for eighty-six years, the building has been owned by the famous Actors Studio since 1955. The Actors Studio is a non-profit drama school, run by and for professional actors, known for its teaching of the "Method" technique.

Created by Konstantin Stanislaysky at the Moscow Art Theater, this acting system was promoted in this country by Lee Strasberg, longtime artistic director of the Actors Studio. Since its inception, the school has been the training ground for some of America's most distinguished actors. The building's simple Greek Revival design, with a modified Tuscan temple front, is a late example of the style which was so popular in New York during the 1830s and 1840s.

The well-proportioned facade of the building, articulated by unadorned pilasters and a low pediment, illustrates the high quality of the work of the architect-builder who, like many of the period, used pattern books to create a distinctive Greek Revival style building. The building is a fitting home for its famous school, the Actors Studio.