nARCHITECTS, the Brooklyn architecture office transforming MADE Bush Terminal, is partnering with Public Service, the creative studio of Public Records, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) to create a new arts and music venue in the Sunset Park District.
The 1,000-seat venue will be built out of the ground floor of an existing, historic warehouse, the Building A annex. (The annex played host to The Architectural League of New York’s most recent Beaux Arts Ball.) The NYCEDC said it will host “programming that reflects the diversity and creativity of the Sunset Park community and advances the city’s broader mission to foster equitable economic growth through culture and innovation.”
Public Records is based at the ASPCA headquarters in Gowanus, Brooklyn. It was founded in 2017 by Shane Davis and Francis Harris. In 2023, Public Records hired Mattaforma to design The Nursery, an exterior performance space.
The new venue by nARCHITECTS in the Sunset Park District will augment these existing facilities in Gowanus. Arup, lighting designer Ben Kreukniet, and BK Studio, are also on the project team. Brand Urban brokered the deal with Public Records and NYCEDC.
“Our creative practice is particularly inspired by opportunities to re-envision and re-enliven historic spaces through design, hospitality, and artistic curation,” Davis said in a statement. “To do so in concert with a project dedicated to supporting the greater arts and production community in New York aligns perfectly with our organizational interests and aspirations.”
The new venue is slated to open late 2026, but much is happening already at MADE Bush Terminal, and the 200-acre Sunset Park District more broadly. Shovels broke ground in August on a new park designed by SCAPE, atop MADE Bush Terminal’s Pier 6.
“MADE” stands for “Manufacturers, Artisans, Designers, and Entrepreneurs.” (Other venues in the Sunset Park District include the Brooklyn Army Terminal, South Brooklyn Marine Terminal, and Brooklyn Wholesale Meat Market.) The MADE Bush Terminal consists of four primary buildings, once operated by the Bush Terminal Railroad Company.
Building A was redesigned by nARCHITECTS. Now, work along the waterfront is underway on Building C, also by nARCHITECTS, and Pier 6, which will serve as the “front porch” for the MADE Bush Terminal portion of the district, SCAPE said.
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