Avatar Studios, formerly known as the The Power Station, is a renowned recording studio at 441 West 53rd Street in Manhattan, New York City. The building was originally a Con Edison power plant; but after a period of vacancy, it was used as a sound stage for the television game show Let's Make a Deal. In 1977, it was rebuilt as a recording studio by Tony Bongiovi, a "respected producer and an acoustical genius", and gained renown as one of the finest acoustic environments for recording in the world. The complex was renamed Avatar Studios (under the Avatar Entertainment Corporation) in May of 1996. It has won several studio industry awards over the years, including a "Les Paul Award for Special Lifetime Achievement" in 1991.
Major acts who have recorded there include Aerosmith, Marc Anthony, B-52's, Tony Bennett, Jon Bon Jovi (who actually worked there in his youth), Devo, Duran Duran, Dream Theater, Bruce Springsteen, John Lennon, Bernadette Peters, Harry Connick, Jr., Iggy Pop, Journey, George Michael, Betty Carter, Sum 41, John Mayer, Moby, Vanessa Williams, Blondie, Chic, Joan Jett, David Bowie, and of course, the band Power Station which was named after the studio itself.
