The Paul Taylor Dance Company, founded in 1954 by the renowned choreographer, has long been one of the city’s most prominent companies. But in recent years he has struggled to find a space that fits his ambitions for more performances, rehearsals, classes and community events.
No more. The company announced Tuesday a major expansion that would triple its footprint, moving its headquarters to an office tower in Midtown Manhattan next year from its current headquarters on the Lower East Side. The company will use the space to build more dance studios and expand its educational programs.
“It’s a new era,” said John Tomlinson, the company’s chief executive. “There are more opportunities for us.”
Under a lease agreement with George Comfort & Sons, a real estate investment and management company, the Taylor company will own essentially two floors of a tower on West 38th Street for 30 years. The company and George Comfort will split the costs, about $8 million to $10 million, to renovate the 31,000-square-foot space and build dance studios.
Tomlinson said the new space would allow the company to attract more artists and students, given its proximity to major transportation hubs. The company, which plans to move into the new space early next year, also operates the Taylor School, which offers dance classes for adults and children.
“We found this location that is as close to the crossroads of the world as possible,” Tomlinson said. “And we found an owner who, incredibly, was willing to invest with us and interested in seeing us become part of that community. And so it became a perfect match, made in heaven.”
The lease agreement will allow the nonprofit Taylor Company and George Comfort to claim a property tax exemption on the space.
George Comfort said he was delighted to help the dance group expand its presence in the city.
“World-renowned cultural institutions like Paul Taylor Dance Company are the lifeblood of New York City and a key component of the Big Apple’s enduring appeal,” said Peter S. Duncan, president and CEO of George Comfort & Sons, in a statement.
Paul Taylor, whose founder died in 2018, is one of the few New York dance companies with a significant real estate footprint. (Others include Alvin Ailey American Dance Theatre, Mark Morris Dance Group, and Dance Theater of Harlem.) Dance groups have long struggled to find affordable spaces to rehearse and perform in the city, one of the most expensive markets in the world, especially since the pandemic. , which has created new financial pressures for performing arts groups.
The pandemic forced Paul Taylor to cancel many performances and tours, which affected his income; The company’s budget fell to about $6.4 million in 2022 from about $10 million in 2019.
But the company has begun to recover. The budget is now about $8.3 million and box office sales are roughly at pre-pandemic levels, totaling nearly $800,000 for the current fiscal year. Last fall, the company completed its annual season at Lincoln Center, which attracted 25,239 people, up from 26,104 in 2019. The company has tours planned this year in the United States and Italy.
After its move to Midtown, the Taylor company will maintain its roughly 13,000-square-foot space on the Lower East Side, which it has been leasing for about 15 years. That space will be used for community performances and programs; It will also be rented for events.
