Open House New York at Powerhouse Arts

How did a century-old abandoned industrial site on the Gowanus Canal become the city’s newest arts center and fabrication space?

Two days after the official ribbon-cutting, Powerhouse Arts – winner of this year’s Open City Award – opens its doors to the public on Sunday, May 21. This first look offers an opportunity to witness this remarkable building’s transformation and rejuvenation. A former power plant built in 1903 for the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, the building was vacated in the 1970s. It became known to locals as “the batcave” for its cavernous and decaying interior that also served as a hive of artistic activity and expression as an illicit music venue and canvas for graffiti artists.

After a 7-year rehabilitation and construction of a new connecting building by a talented team led by Herzog & de Meuron, PBDW Architects, Urban Atelier Group, Buro Happold Engineering, Ken Smith Workshop, and Silman, Powerhouse Arts is poised to become a center for the Brooklyn art community in a new way. Its facilities include a metal fabrication shop, ceramics studio, and print shop, providing vital, affordable local manufacturing resources for artists. A 13,000-square-foot events space will showcase creative work on a singularly dramatic stage: the Great Hall, formerly the power plant’s turbine room, where many of the interior surfaces, including the graffiti, have been maintained.

Explore this visionary example of adaptive reuse with Open House New York at Powerhouse Arts! Timed-ticket admission offers an opportunity for self-guided exploration, and the ceramics studio and print shop will be open to allow a glimpse of artists at work. Bring your camera!

This event is free, but a timed-ticket RSVP is required.

Learn more at https://ohny.org/activity/open-house-new-york-at-powerhouse-arts/.