Astoria Movie Studio By Robert De Niro Gets City's Go-Ahead

ASTORIA, QUEENS — A state-of-the-art film studio designed by a star architect and spearheaded by a legendary actor will soon rise in an industrial area of Ditmars, having received a final go-ahead from the city.

Wildflower Studios, a $600-million project backed by Robert De Niro, will soon begin construction on its centerpiece building — a seven-story production studio — after securing permits from the Department of Buildings on Jan. 25. The city told Patch that permits had indeed been issued, confirming an announcement that Wildflower sent to multiple news outlets.

It will be built at 35-15 19th Ave., a former parking lot next to the Steinway piano factory that De Niro, his son and the development company Wildflower purchased for $72 million in 2019.

Once completed by late 2023, the studio will house 11 sound stages, surrounded by other production facilities that make up a "studio village," according to planning documents submitted to the city. A public waterfront promenade along Luyster Creek will also be built as part of the project, though its timeline was unclear.

The development has been all but assured since last fall, when the City Planning Commission approved the project after it passed through the monthslong "ULURP" review process. Community Board 1 and Queens Borough President Donovan Richards had both recommended approval.

The studio will be designed by the Bjarke Ingels Group, led by the prominent Danish architect whose other projects include the tetrahedron-shaped VIA 57 West apartment building in Hell's Kitchen.

Developers have already been preparing the construction site since late 2020, according to planning documents.

Wildflower will join Kaufman and Silvercup studios as production venues based in Western Queens — part of organizers' stated goal of luring film production from Hollywood back to the East Coast.

The main building will stand 135 feet tall, also housing cafes, offices, lounges and 150,000 square feet of solar panels, according to reports.

Previous coverage:

• Actor Robert DeNiro To Buy Astoria Lot For Film Studio: Report
• De Niro Taps Starchitect To Design $400M Astoria Film Studio