Galapagos, which helped put Williamsburg on the map as one of the cultural hubs of the city when it opened over a decade ago, announced that it will be moving to 10,000-square-foot former horse stable at 16 Main Street in Dumbo next year. The rent on the North Six Space that Galapagos has been in since 1995 jumped to $10,000 a month in 2005 and was poised to go up another 30 percent next month. After considering a move as far away as Berlin, founder Robert Elmes found a receptive audience in Two Trees Management which owns the space–along with a healthy portion of the neighborhood. As they have with so many other arts organizations and other ground-floor enterprises that add to the quality of life in the neighborhood, Two Trees put an offer on the table that was too good to refuse: Galapagos could double its space while cutting its rent in half. Adding a cultural aspect to the neighborhood is a really important thing, said Jed Walentas, a partner in Two Trees. Because we own such a big piece of the neighborhood, we can afford to take a long-term, big-picture view. Smart move, for sure. Interestingly, the building will end up being the first “green” performance space in New York City that conforms to the standards of the United States Green Building Council.
Arts Space in Brooklyn to Get New Digs [NY Times] GMAP