Can we save the Muppet Townhouse?

[froggiegirl18]

You know in movies people can save a building by making it into a historic site..is this possible for the townhouse in New York of where many moments in muppet history were made? I know I am not the only one who will be upset for the forclose of the location in New York.In the Very Merry Muppet Christmas movie Kermit said that every one matters..hey doesn't this mean the fans?Can't we do something??Please if all the fans have to sign a petition or pitch in with the cost lets start something...I am just unsure of where to start.Any ideas?

sincerly,
Sandee

 

[dwayne1115]

im all for the fans buying it and making it as a musem to the muppets and Jim Henson amd kind of as a history of his life and his wonderful carrer to make the world a little happier place by the faces of Kermit and Big Bird coming on our Tv and big screens for so long. What would need to take place is for Henson to go along with this. I'm sure we could pull this off . We could get some of the things used at muppetfest and at the collage in connetect and i would bet my bottem doller from the Jim henson arcives there is just a wonder of treasurs just waitng for the light of day for people to see. And i know it would be a money maker why they could even do partys and such maybe who knows. i would love to work on this and even though i dont have any money right now would love to buy this wonderful pice of history. All i need is permison to have people in the building access to the JHC arcives some old picturs and video clips sound bits and maybe some try your hand at muppetreing thing. then i would need a staf deitcated to Jim Henson and his work. It could work and i dont think it would cost to much for renavations if they havnt alred painted over the walls and such. maybe somone with a more bussness kind of mind help me here but i think this is a very good chance i could do this. with the proper help of cours.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

I think this is a great idea in theory, the only problem is money. It would probably cost $20 million or so to buy the building and set up a museum.

I'm sure then Henson family and company is more attached to the building than any of the fans, but the fact is the company is based on the West Coast now and the company needs the money. Also, the Chaplin Studios Henson has out there is even more of a historic site than the Henson townhome.

Sad to say, but I guess times change and sometimes you have to move on.

 

[dwayne1115]

i see what you are saying money is a big fator in this but the musem would have a small fee to enter. and there could even a muppet shop inside the toenhouse.
We already know that the muppet toys and other gams and such are seling farly good, so if there was a Henson store there could be some exrta things there that could be sold only in the store. Like cearting cariturs as plush dolls and such and even some of the rare ones that where on the good ol' Ed sullivan show. this is and really could be a wonderfull marketing and money making thing for the JHC but the only thing that would worry me is getting more people intrested in the muppets and in JHC and that would mean more getting The muppets and Jim Henson's name out to the generl public. and not just kids but adults as well. i mean face it over the last few years the JHC and muppets has been kind of heading just twords kids but then when they tried to do a little somthing for the adults in AVMMC like Scooter in the cage, how much talk that stird up. here is how this needs to happen First we already know that the muppets are working on a movie for Tv of the wizerd of Oz which could go both ways it is a wonderfull family movie and has potenual so durring the frist showing of this movie they should have a preview for a big screen film. and also this would be the perfect time to also show off some of there toys and games durring comercials then at the end or near the end show an ad for the soon to be musum and what is has to offer the average person on the street. thats how we could get the money in is getting the muppets out so to speak. this is geeting me really to thinking about how this could really work if some people could hold back on the wallets and time i know i really would.

 

[Mark Filton]

Yes, while "moving on" is good, it is also good not to flush important things into the toilet.

Nobody "needs" to come up with 20 million big bucks.

You all maybe forget that Henson owns the darn building already, and even if they just leave it alone and move their business to California, they can just leave the whole thing right where it is AND JUST PAY THE PROPERTY TAXES.

All the Henson family are millionaires. You remember how much cash they got for selling the company to the Germans, and then they bought it BACK for a lot LESS!!!!

It is crazy to sell that building. They can empty it and still keep it for what would be coffee money for you and me.

We couldn't even get together to buy the Muppet Movie bus. We can't stop this.

IT IS CRAZY

 

[frogboy4]

This must have been a tough decision for the Henson Company to make and the Henson family, not EMTV or any other outside source, made it. Though it's sad for the fans that they are leaving the building it must be heartbreaking for the employees who have worked there.

Reportedly the space is too big for the streamlined company they're forming in order to be a successful business. It is also too small to be a museum. New York real estate costs a fortune. It is in their best financial interest to sell the townhouse and take the murals and decorations to another location. It is a shame. However it does mark a positive step in Henson becoming fiscally responsible.

I have a theory that the Henson Company is also streamlining because they intend to make the company easy to acquire. The family reportedly bought the company back from EMTV due to the embarrassment of the sale dragging on for so long. It was sinking the company's value too. That's just something I'm thinking. Could be totally off on that.

Anyway, there's nothing we can really do. I wouldn't want to rub salt into Henson's wounds at this point. They have more of a connection to the place than we ever will. It is sad though. Very sad.

 

[Luke]

Exactly Frogboy, if it was the right decision to preserve it and turn it into a museum able to sustain itself financially while being large enough and safe enough for the public to go through in large numbers we can be pretty sure Henson would have done this. If even they want to sell it, there isn't much case for fan action.

Mark :- You have some facts wrong. Firstly the Hensons do not just write blank checks for JHC. It is a company in itself, they bought it for a certain amount but from there on it is supposed to fund itself. As a company it needs that money and it doesn't suit their needs now. Also you alluded to the amount the Henson kids got for the EMTV sale in relation to how much less they bought it back for - while yeah they have a lot of money, that $680 million figure was just an initial estimate. Various things happened, stock prices fell - i'd be surprised if they even actually got half of that figure and they would have paid tax on it and had to pay various things off when they did. Historically i'm sure they'd like to keep the Townhouse but rich people don't get rich from making bad business decisions.

 

[Phillip]

There is a small Jim Henson and Kermit museum in Leland, Mississippi. They are adding new things all the time.

http://www.muppetcentral.com/articles/reviews/exhibits/mupmuseum.shtml

 

[Thijs]

dwayne, again I don't understand a thing of what you're saying. Please, talk normal English in decent sentences.

Jamie, I always thought it was pretty large. How big is the townhouse exactly?

 

[Amazing Mumford]

Nobody "needs" to come up with 20 million big bucks.

You all maybe forget that Henson owns the darn building already, and even if they just leave it alone and move their business to California, they can just leave the whole thing right where it is AND JUST PAY THE PROPERTY TAXES.

Luke alluded to this earlier, but the cost of leaving the building there is NOT just the property taxes. There is an opportunity cost involved too. The opportunity cost is whatever else they would do with that $20 million. For example, not selling the building may mean fewer new film/TV projects and less merchandise. That is the true cost of keeping the building.

As others have said, no one will be sadder about this than those who work for the company (especially the Hensons). But, hopefully they have a plan for using some of that cash to create more Muppet fun for the rest of us.