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New Industrial-Chic Concert Venue Brooklyn Steel Coming To East Williamsburg
By
Scott Heins
Published Dec 6, 2016
Modified Dec 7, 2016
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By
Scott Heins
Published Dec 6, 2016
Modified Dec 7, 2016
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Brooklyn's music-lovers will have yet another in-borough option for catching a show when Brooklyn Steel, an industrial-chic venue boasting high capacity and top-notch acoustics, opens in East Williamsburg next April. Owned and operated by local mega-promoters Bowery Presents, the concert hall will be located at the corner of Frost Street and Debevoise Avenue, less than a mile from McCarren Park, and has been in the works for years.
The roster of live acts already booked to play Brooklyn Steel includes The Decemberists, The Pixies, PJ Harvey, Animal Collective, Perfume Genius, Tycho, Two Door Cinema Club, and more. With its audience capacity of 1,800, Bowery Presents claims the new space will become the largest general admission venue in all of Brooklyn, dwarfing nearby concert spots like Music Hall of Williamsburg and Rough Trade NYC (both of which are also owned by Bowery Presents).
"With every venue we open, we aim to create a space where both fans and bands can fully enjoy the experience; from easy access to bars and restrooms, to unobstructed sightlines and state-of-the-art sound and acoustics, we're confident that Brooklyn Steel delivers on our commitment to keep the music first," Bowery Presents business partners John Moore and Jim Glancy said in a statement yesterday. "Brooklyn Steel is filling a void in the Brooklyn music scene."
The vibe throughout the 20,000 square foot under-construction venue was described by the Times as "a cavernous former steel fabrication shop" during a recent visit. Two four-foot metal fans sit behind the main lobby bar, and much of the surrounding fixtures are composed of scrap metal and old equipment. A salvaged five-ton steel hook will be adorned with original art, and a large moveable stage will make it possible to shrink or enlarge the main room as needed.
Other amenities include forty total (yes, forty!) restrooms, two additional bars, balconies that taper along the venue's side walls and a 10,000 square foot "green roof," which will use living plants as a means of soundproofing.
With a capacity that sits slightly above Webster Hall's main ballroom, but still substantially below the out-of-the-way cavern that is Terminal 5, Brooklyn Steel could be poised to offer nearby residents the opportunity to catch great national acts while being spared the long, late commute back home. With mega-promoter AEG (which owns Panorama) in the late stages of a deal to acquire Bowery Presents, the ultimate vibe of Brooklyn Steel could land anywhere between a grungy indie rock haven or a strobe-lit EDM incubation chamber for pop's next Justin Bieber. But, hey, Williamsburg amirite?
Tagged
bowery presents
brooklyn
brooklyn steel
concerts
Music
williamsburg
Scott Heins
Scott Heins is a freelance photo and video journalist based in New York City, and a frequent contributor to Gothamist + WNYC. His work often centers around labor rights, housing, and policing. In 2018-2019 he traveled to four states while covering a wave of public school teachers strikes, with work featured in The New York Times, The Intercept, Getty Images, Splinter, and Bloomberg Photos. Scott is a dues-paying member of the National Writers Union's Freelance Solidarity Project.
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