The Times reports that the clock is ticking for St. Ann’s Warehouse to find a new home following a ruling that prevents the arts organization from relocating to the Tobacco Warehouse in Dumbo. St. Ann’s is scheduled to leave its current home, a few blocks away from the Tobacco Warehouse, next May to make way for Two Trees’ Dock Street development. The organization’s plans for the Tobacco Warehouse—which a federal judge ruled in April was part of Empire Fulton Ferry State Park, and therefore could not be taken over by any single group—involved a 10,250-square-foot theater, a 7,000-square-foot public garden and a 2,100-square-foot community hall. Now Susan Feldman, the artistic director of St. Ann’s, says its unclear where the organization will go next: “It leaves us maybe having to leave Dumbo. Perhaps even leaving Brooklyn. None of us want that, but the theater we do at St. Ann’s doesn’t easily fit into pre-existing spaces that we’ve seen, and we want to continue to do that work.”
St. Ann’s Warehouse Scrambles to Find New Home [NY Times]
Photo by joel@eeriepa


What's Your Take? Leave a Comment

  1. chris, i do not buy that the state preservation office says categorically that “not one beam can be moved”
    Any reuse of the empire stores will entail significant retooling of the interior. Otherwise it will not be viable. A good consultant can ease the way, and the politicians can also provide juice behind a good scheme. Also, the state is under new leadership. A theater would be an ideal use for a small portion of the cavernous, windowless interior of the Empire Stores.

  2. Minard, the Empire Stores cannot be used as the State Office of Historic Preservation has stated categorically that not one interior beam can be moved unless required by code. That discussion had taken place a long time ago. A theater would require a gut of interior of one of the seven sections, something St. Anns was told by the State of New York they COULD NOT do.

    Warehouse not now open to sky. Has huge white tent in it for rentals. It will be used more and more in this way and will never be some open space just like that forever.

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