TV production company closes deal to buy former Staten Island prison

Broadway Stages produces shows such as “Quantico” and “The Americans”

<em>Aerial view of Arthur Kill Correctional Facility (Credit: Google Maps)</em>
Aerial view of Arthur Kill Correctional Facility (Credit: Google Maps)

A TV production company behind shows including “Blacklist,” “The Americans” and “Quantico” has closed on its long-awaited deal to buy a former Staten Island prison.

Broadway Stages, which operates more than 40 soundstages in Brooklyn and Queens, closed on a purchase of Staten Island’s former Arthur Kill Correctional Facility on Tuesday and plans to redevelop the site into a television and film production studio, according to state officials.

The site spans 69 acres across Staten Island’s Rossville waterfront. Empire State Development issued an RFP for purchasing and redeveloping the site in May 2013 and tentatively chose Broadway Stages as the developer in 2014 before officially closing the deal.

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Broadway Stages plans to invest $20 million in the site and create five new soundstages that total about 100,000 square feet. Many existing buildings will be repurposed into film studios or used as storage space, cafeterias and production offices. Broadway Stages also has the option to build five additional soundstages spanning 70,000 square feet.

The deal was previously delayed amid concerns from State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli about Broadway Stages’ donations to de Blasio’s 2013 and 2017 campaigns.

Broadway Stages is also planning to expand in Brooklyn. The company filed plans in July to build a new 180,000-square-foot soundstage at 277 Monitor Street in Greenpoint.