Henson closes NY office

Artwork of the workshop

I really hope they don't do anything to the mural of the theater or the stained glass with Mr. Henson and Mr. Oz. That Mural is the most beautiful thing I've seen, so wonderfully done. I would die if something happened to either of those things.

As has been mentioned, Henson are planning to strip the place bare (or maybe 'Bear' is planning to strip at the place ... but then he's naked already so i must have got it right first time). So yeah, anything like artwork, murals or stained glass windows, carved desk etc will all be moved with the company and kept. Many people 'inside' Henson have been confirming this.

OH THANK GOODNESS !!! I thought since the mural was painted on the wall, that it couldn't be saved.

Question: Since the mural was painted on the wall (never thought about that), HOW can it be saved?

It was apparently painted on canvas and mounted on the wall.

OK that's what I thought; it seemed people were saying it was painted ON the wall. Never mind then...

Thanks! I feel alot better that those things are safe!

Hey everybody, I want to reply big time but Christmas is the most hectic time

All I can say for speed is that nobody has any confirmation about preserving anything, and that is what scares me the most.

All through Hollywood are bad tales of people saying when wonderful things just get thrown out. Even if the mural is preserved, who says they might leave it around for a year, it gets damaged, or they don't know WHAT to do with it and somebody says "Enough of that thing!"

Who knows

This is HENSON Mark - their archive people are the best i've ever seen. They have an intricate database of thousands of items all carefully stored from Jim's first puppets to tiny props and old letters. Some of the NY stuff is the most precious and important, the family themselves will make sure what needs to be kept is archived safely. You might not get official confirmation on a forum but you can be sure the Henson Company are more than aware of the issues being raised here and preservation plans are definitely happening.

Its all a bit sad....

I have the upmost respect for the company, and how they have inspired m to follow the paths I took in life. Although my involvemnet in Henson projects here in the UK has been minimal (hence one of my domains being 3rdchickenfromtheleft.com) I have always followed them comewhat may.

Its a shame that things are so bad that things are being closed, scaled down or whatever...

I wish that they could keep a hold of NY and ditch the Chaplin studios... I say this because NY will forver be a MUPPET City, where as LA is not... I went to the Chaplin Studios last year for a meeting with Brian... and as nice as the Chaplin place was, there was no escaping its heritage as either Chaplins old gaff or A&M's headquarters. However, NY will forever be THE definative hub of Henson Creativity.... AND ONCE IT HAS GONE, THATS IT.

Surely NY is no where near as costly as LA to keep.

Maybe I'm just too Nostalgic for my own good. I always prefered the Hampstead Creature shop over Camden. Jims house was across the road, and it was all very "nice". Camden was a bit of a mess, and never really felt "creativley different". By that I mean that whenever you walked into Hampstead, you knew you were somewhere special. It had a lot of history. Camden just felt like a converted warehouse. It was a pain to get to and the streets were just filfthy. Hampstead had class.... Its now a Doctors surgery..... I think the family still have Number 50 though, as they are listed as the owners in an application for planning permission on the house this year to remove a stained glass in door at rear ground floor level(Its a listed house). And very nice it is too.

LA has a lot of history, but none of it is really Henson History. I have never associatted LA with Hensons or the Muppets, mainly due to the fact that once in LA you are just one small fish in a very big pond. In NY or London, you at least retain a creative edge and are instantly renowned for being "special". Could you imagine Pixar or ILM working in any other inviroment than the one in which they do?

But I only read the headlines and have only had a brief glimpse at this forum, and I may have missed something... but either way, I'd hate to see the same NY office that I used to write to begging to be a puppeteer go away forever. It was (as was Hampstead) my mecca. And looking at all the photo's of it, it really does appear to have a heart and soul all of its own... something that I feel no building in LA could ever offer.

There must be a way around this....

Lose the LA building, its a little too pretentious anyway, keep NY and work from there.

That Was Very Touching. Yeh, I agree. They Shouldn't Get Rid Of It. Plus Jim's Office Is In There. I think The Henson Family Should Buy it back. Plus They Said That Jim always wanted to save that house. They Can just make that place A Muppet Museum If they don't want it as a Headquarters anymore. Besides, They Still Have The Muppet Workshop there. And They can still have the NY Headquarters just in cause if Something Goes wrong.

I think we could right a letter To The Jim Henson Company And tell them our Opinions. I know we can't control The Jim Henson Company's dissection On Selling The NY Headquarters, But at lest let them know what we think. Right ?

This just bought back a wonderful memory of my first meeting with Brian... it was 1990, on my 20th birthday and he finally succumbed to my "keen" letters and invited me over to Hampstead to say hi and do some puppeteering. It was a great day, and when he realised that there was no room at the creature shop, he took me over to his Dads house where we puppeteered in the lounge in front of this massive mirrored wall with some puppets from Mother Goose. When I saw the throne from the Dark Crystal at the end of the hallway, I almost peed in my pants.

Pretty dam fine, if I may say so. I had not worked as a puppeteer up till that point.... but I have not stopped since. So for that I am gratefull...

Anyway, I digress....

If you think a letter may help, lets do it.
Nothing ventured etc etc etc

Craig

want to see it

i want to take a trip into the city to see the henson building before its gone. what is a good way to get there, by cab or by walking or subway. also, would they allow people in the building.


please write to michele_herrmann@hotmail.com


michele

Well, When I went to the headquarters, I took a train.

ha ha

Oh, well, I knew that, but once you get off the train, where do you go from there?

I got to visit this place back in 1996 when I took a trip to NYC with my high school drama club. I have a friend who is a puppeteer (he does Tutter on Bear in the Big Blue House and is currently doing AVENUE Q on Broadway) and was working for JHC at the time and he arranged for me and my mom to visit. I took lots of pictures when I was there. If I can find them, I'll be sure to post some. I also got to visit the set of Muppets From Space in Wilmington, NC back in 1999. Here's my set report from Ain't It Cool News.

Oh wow it's been over 10 days now I am back at the computer. Happy new year and everything

Now I can get back to those older replies.

I can't make the quotes thing work...ah well...

Buck Beaver , all of us are speculating. And yes, I know it is a business, but not that doesn't mean every decision they make I protest against I should be told "awwww...too bad little kid, it's a business in a grown up world."

I want to have the HEnson company succeed too, of COURSE, but I don't think this sale is gonna be the difference. It is just thoise guys saying "GOODBYE" to the history and that makes me feel terrible for the new projects.

Business is like art, you make mistakes in both sometimes.

Here is your quote
"I'm not saying that the townhouse wasn't a special place, just that perhaps on this issue we should defer to the wisdom and judgement of those who are closest to the issue - the family and the company."

WISDOM of the Henson kids? Give me a break

They censor the old tape of Jugband Christmas. What? For the nudity? There's your "wisdom." I read the Sesame Street unpaved and there'sd mistakes in it, and they reference to Roseanne Barr as if she's a "celebrity." I don't give two cents for the "wisdom" of the HEnson kids.

Frogboy says " Henson has seen better days and if this is what they need to get back on track then I support it."

And also that there is no need to keep the taxes up and it's not cheap and L.A. is the hub of entertainment.

SElling this building is not going to equal a good movie. It just means a little extra money...but unless they COULD NOT make a movie WITHOUT selling the building, then WHAT is the POINT???

Yes, it's not peanuts for taxes and upkeep, but what is a few points of interest on just ONE million bucks? To a family of millionaires, 15 grand a year is coffee money to you and me. It's nothing. THey are selling the building for no good reason.

Is LA the hub of entertainment? Well, the Muppets are not taking the world by storm if you notice. WHo is David Letterman and Conan and so many other people and Woody Allen and so many others? New York CIty is pretty darn important if you ask me. Who are the Muppets? As big as Paramount? NYC is where they made the big time. They should stay there.

Remember it's a NEW YORK "state of mind."

Now Luke says

"Henson do OWN their offices and puppet workshop in London - it's called the Creature Shop in Camden. They got it around 25 years ago and Jim probably did as much creative Muppet work there than New York because it was their base throughout the TMS years.

He also owned his own home there-

While some creative stuff did go on there about 80% of the time it has been used for all the boring admin, aside puppet building in the workshop of course."

Jim travelled everywhere. He had homes everyplace. If you read the book "The Works" then you will learn that the New York building was THE place. Am I making this up??? Read the book. THis place is a part of the soul of the Muppets. BUt that's how I feel.

Philip----I hope somebody does make a tape and we can check it out here. I sent an email to HEnson and they haven't responded. WHY can't we have a tape? THis website is not popular for nothing.

JUST ME

So I ask you all this: Before they put the place up, did ANY of you say "Hey! Sell that building!?"

No, nobody did. So, why are you all saying what a great idea it is, or that the HEnson kids are having "wisdom?"

Hey, everybody has an opinion.

I think the HEnson kids are not too bright as far as business is concerned, and there is no NEED to sell this building. They can keep all that history for candy bar money.

Is it their building? YES! They can burn it down if they want to. But I am not going to stand around and say "they know best." They don't know best. The loss of this building is a dark sign that the special history is something they can't be bothered with.

Yes, it is sentimental nonsense, but so are the Muppets, too! Chaplin had a Hollywood history. The Chaplin building even has to be CALLED Chaplin.

If the Henson kids are tired of trying to match the glory days, they sell the glory place, because they don't expect any more glory.

This decision is terrible. THey are turning on their own roots, and that means more of Kermit on Jimmy KImmel, and we are watching another big piece of what we love and cherish DIE.

Why make a World Trade Center memorial? Why make a "Strawberry Fields" for John Lennon? WHy bother with ANYTHING? Because it matters.

Sadly, it's pretty plain to see that it doesn't matter too much to Brian. I'm NOT saying he didn't love his Dad, but this decision means more crapola from the Muppets is coming

Well, this is the first I've heard of this (I haven't heard anything to do with Henson in news/tv in the UK for years unfortunately), and I have to say it sucks. Really, said building should be purchased by the State or a charitable organisation (it's the National Trust/Department of Heritage/National Lottery Herritage Fund's job over here). Henson has to be important enough historically. Less important things have been preserved.

That's a good point I wish I had written.

LESSER things have been saved!!!

Hey man, like David Letterman says after 9/11, if you have any doubt, now you know "New York City is the best city in the world."

Sorry to everybody else, NYC is the best. Even Kermit did an "I love New York" ad so many years ago.

It's New York City. Favourite song of Frnak Sinatra, too.

New York

I'm in a New York state of mind

(stupid Henson company still won't email me back for a video of the building)