How Fox Turned the New York Public Library Into 'Gotham' for a Night

For the premiere of its Batman prequel series, the TV network recreated three key locations from the show inside the New York landmark.

Anna Sekula

September 30, 2014

Police cars parked on the sidewalk, detectives frisking people, and uniformed policemen standing guard are not things typically seen at a TV premiere, but for the screening and celebration of Fox's new series Gotham, they were fitting sights. Based on DC Comics' Batman franchise, the TV show follows the rise of Gotham City Police Department commissioner James Gordon—alongside characters such as Bruce Wayne, the Penguin, and Catwoman—and so the network sought to recreate key visuals from the first episode for the September 15 event at the New York Public Library. Tasked with designing and producing the premiere and its ensuing party was Los Angeles-based Abel McCallister, which worked with Fox Broadcasting's senior producer of special events, Bob Stillo.

With its many rooms and its stately Beaux-Arts architectural design, the New York Public Library offered the organizers the space for red carpet arrivals, a screening, and an after-party, as well as built-in decor. Particularly suitable was the Midtown site's side entrance on 42nd Street, which closely resembled the exterior of the Gotham City Police Department shown in Gotham's first episode. The Edna Barnes Salomon Room on the third floor provided an intimate enough space to reproduce Fish Mooney's nightclub, a sultry setting with rich red and gold accents and chandeliers, while the adjacent hallway supplied the space necessary to imitate a dark alley with scaffolding, wooden pallets, and garbage cans.

Establishing the three Gotham locations at the landmark space did present some obstacles. As parts of the library were open to the public during the day, the production team couldn't begin the set up for the premiere party until 6 p.m. and had to store all decor, furniture, and other elements like barware in an adjoining room. And with the post-screening festivities set to start at 7:45 p.m., that left the organizers less than two hours to put the pieces into position.

Another challenge was directing guests from the screening in the Celeste Bartos Forum to the third-floor party space. As a clever way to tackle this and match the imagery used in the event's invitation, Abel McCallister placed a series of upright black umbrellas as markers. Clear acrylic bases held individual umbrellas, making it look as though they were balanced on their tips and enabling the producers to position the items through the hallways and up the stairs.

Taking advantage of the resemblance of the New York Public Library's 42nd Street entrance to the façade of the police station featured in Gotham's first episode, the producers added a couple of details to emphasize the look. That included changing the flag hung above the doorway, swapping the lights in the lampposts with green globes, and projecting the Gotham City Police Department logo on the exterior walls.

Photo: Courtesy of Fox

Actors dressed as members of the Gotham City Police Department stood guard at the entrance. To add to the atmosphere, inside, detectives frisked and handcuffed suspects in the halls outside the screening room.

Photo: Courtesy of Fox

Branded carts held cups of popcorn for guests to grab before they took their seats for the screening.

Photo: Courtesy of Fox

Organizers used the Celeste Bartos Forum for the premiere screening of Gotham, bringing out stars Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue, as well as executive producer Bruno Heller, before showing the first episode to the crowd.

Photo: Courtesy of Fox

Inspired by the event's invitation—and the Penguin's signature accessory shown in Gotham's first episode—Abel McCallister used black umbrellas to guide guests from the Celeste Bartos Forum, through Astor Hall, and up the stairs to the premiere party in the Edna Barnes Salomon Room on the third floor. To make the freestanding umbrellas stay upright and look like they were balanced on their tips, the producers made clear acrylic bases that were virtually invisible in the dimly lit space. The producers noted that by the end of the night the umbrellas had "mysteriously disappeared."

Photo: Courtesy of Fox

One of the bars for the premiere party was set up directly outside the Edna Barnes Salomon Room. Designed to represent the dark alleys of Gotham—where Bruce Wayne's parents are murdered and where viewers first meet Oswald Cobblepot, also known as the Penguin—the setup included scaffolding, old pallets, metal garbage cans, and acrylic painted to look like junk. Open black umbrellas hung from the scaffolding as a visual cue to the Penguin.

Photo: Courtesy of Fox

Staffers in black suits and eye makeup also represented the Penguin and during the party passed churros from Pinch that were attached to open black umbrellas.

Photo: Cindy Ord/Fox

The third key location from the first episode that Fox and the producers wanted to imitate was Fish Mooney's club, the home of Jada Pinkett Smith's villainous character. Above the entrance to the Edna Barnes Salomon Room, the producers projected the club's fish skeleton logo.

Photo: Courtesy of Fox

In contrast to the adjacent alley-inspired bar—and the police station set up at the entrance—the New York Public Library's third-floor room was marked by rich red lighting and decor, ornate lamps, beaded curtains, and handcrafted pillows. Much like Fish Mooney's bar in the show, the space also included a stage for performances, but rather than make the cabaret singer a focal point of the room, Abel McCallister placed the raised platform behind the bar so that it became more of a decor piece.

Photo: Cindy Ord/Fox

Enclosed in rich red drapes, the room held a variety of seating options, from semicircular red booths to comfy couches and ottomans; branded pillows in red and gold added to the look. Integrated into the layout were interactive food stations, including beef and turkey carving tables and sweet and savory pastries suspended from hooks.

Photo: Courtesy of Fox