Though the screenplay was reworked for film, and the order of some songs was switched, the most exciting elements of the musical remained: the dynamic choreography, the Shakespearean plot, and Leonard Bernstein’s classic songs and score.
Using a combination of location shots in New York and stylized sets in Los Angeles, the filmmakers created a startling visual representation of the streets of Manhattan.
Lincoln Square: Original Setting
West Side Story was originally set in the neighbourhood of Lincoln Square, or San Juan Hill, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Until the 1950s, the neighbourhood was predominantly African-American and Afro-Caribbean. Though it suffered from poverty and crime, it was also a cultural hotspot, especially for music. By the time the film was shot, the area was marked for demolition.
The Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center
In the early 1960s, just after the film was released, much of Lincoln Square was demolished and replaced by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The anchor of this complex of arts buildings is ‘The Met,’ on which construction began in 1963.
Ballet, opera, music
This is the David H. Koch Theater, home to the New York City Ballet. David Geffen Hall, across the plaza, houses the New York Philharmonic. Lincoln Center became the hub for many of the arts on show in West Side Story.
Lincoln Center Plaza and ‘urban renewal’
The once real street gangs and crime of Lincoln Square, fictionalized in West Side Story, made the area a target for ‘urban renewal.’ Many urban renewal projects of the 1950s and 1960s were controversial, as they displaced, rather than helped, low-income residents.
68th Street and Amsterdam Avenue
The makers of West Side Story took advantage of the Lincoln Square Urban Renewal Project. Since buildings in and around Lincoln Square were scheduled to be demolished, the filmmakers were free to knock down walls, build fences, add graffiti, and otherwise modify the area as they needed for each scene.
Lincoln Towers
The original shooting location, 68th Street west of Amsterdam Avenue, is no longer a through street. The block was replaced by the massive Lincoln Towers apartments. Today, the buildings house luxury condominiums.
West Side Story dancers on the NYC streets (1960) by United Artists Corporation The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Tenement buildings
Much of the film’s prologue was shot in and around 68th Street. Though many of the older buildings seen in the shots have been replaced, a few are still visible. This one is on 69th Street.
West Side Story (1960-08) by Gjon MiliLIFE Photo Collection
Abandoned buildings
Filmmakers were free to damage vacant buildings and lots before they were demolished. Many of the buildings in the area have been replaced in recent years. This apartment tower dates to 2015.
110th Street: Prologue
Since the real ‘West Side’ of the title West Side Story was being demolished, filmmakers looked for other sets that would capture the grit of New York City. This playground, in what is now Spanish Harlem, served as the location for much of the movie’s dramatic prologue. It was a mere coincidence that the neighbourhood happened to be the city’s biggest hotspot for Puerto Rican immigrants.
West Side Story (1960-08) by Gjon MiliLIFE Photo Collection
Prologue
The playground is the setting for the introduction of the Jets, the white street gang that battles the Puerto Rican Sharks. The Jets’s first scene shows their ownership of their turf, as they smoothly stalk the courts, interrupting games and harassing intruders.
West Side Story (1960-08) by Gjon MiliLIFE Photo Collection
Tony's death scene
The final dramatic scene of Tony’s death and Maria’s breakdown also took place at the playground. However, the scene was shot on a giant reproduction of the location on a sound stage, perhaps for better control of the complex lighting and camera angles.
Spanish Harlem
In the 1960s, this neighbourhood, Spanish Harlem, or El Barrio, much more closely matched the ethnic makeup of West Side Story than Lincoln Square. Today the population of Spanish Harlem is still predominantly Latino.
‘The Lot,’ Formerly Samuel Goldwyn Studios
The majority of West Side Story was not shot in New York City at all, but on large sound stages in West Hollywood, California. Here, a facility known as the Samuel Goldwyn Studio was home to United Artists, the studio that distributed West Side Story. Today, the location still hosts independent film studios, with sound stages available for rent by independent film companies.
The Lot
Samuel Goldwyn was the “G” in MGM, one of the largest media distributors in the US. Other movies shot at Goldwyn Studio included Wuthering Heights, Guys & Dolls, and Some Like It Hot.
Cool number from West Side Story (1960) by United Artists Corporation The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts
Sound stages and sets
Like many films, West Side Story was shot on temporary sets built on a sound stage. The sets and lighting were able to mimic outdoor scenes, such as the fire escape scene between Maria and Tony, or even a reproduction of the 110th Street playground.
The Formosa Cafe
Directly across from Samuel Goldwyn Studio is the legendary Formosa Café, hangout for celebrities since the 1920s. West Side Story star Natalie Wood (Maria) was a regular patron.
TCL Chinese Theater
West Side Story premiered at the Rivoli Theatre in New York City on 18 October 1961, scheduled so that the film would be eligible for the Oscars that would take place in April 1962. It opened the following month in Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. This landmark theatre in Hollywood, familiarly known as Grauman’s Chinese Theater, was the site of the film’s glitzy Los Angeles premiere, which took place on 13 December 1961. By July 1962, it had opened in theaters across the country.
Home for film premieres
The Chinese Theater’s distinctive, ornate architecture and its location in central Hollywood have made it a prime spot for important film premieres for decades.
50th anniversary
In 2011, the Chinese Theater hosted a 50th-anniversary ‘Premiere’ party to celebrate West Side Story. Many of the film’s original stars were on hand to celebrate.
Working theatre
The Chinese Theater also continues to be a first-run movie theatre, open to the ticket-buying public. It has also been upgraded to be a full IMAX theatre.
34th Academy Awards: Santa Monica Civic Auditorium
In early 1963, the Academy Awards, or Oscars, were held in this auditorium. Though West Side Story competed with such critically acclaimed films as The Hustler with Paul Newman, Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, and the World War II drama Judgement at Nuremberg, the musical swept the awards, winning 10 of its 11 nominations. It still holds the record for most Oscars for a musical and is just one shy of the most Oscars of all time.
The Civic Auditorium
At the time of the 34th Academy Awards, the 3,000-seat auditorium was the second-largest in the Los Angeles area. It was only a few years old, a strikingly modern construction by Welton Becket, whose firm also designed the landmark Capitol Records building.
Uncertain future
Today, the Academy Awards are held in the Dolby Theater in Hollywood. The Civic Auditorium has fallen into disuse, though it sometimes hosts small conventions and private events. Its extensive parking lot is still home to auto shows.
