Westbeth Artists Community, Arts housing complex in West Village, Manhattan, United States.
Westbeth Artists Community is a residential complex in West Village that occupies an entire city block between West, Bethune, Washington, and Bank Streets. The building contains 384 apartments with specialized workshops for sculpture, painting, ceramics, and printmaking.
The complex began as a Bell Telephone Laboratories building and was converted into an artists' housing project starting in 1966. This transformation in 1970 made it the first major conversion of industrial space into residential units for artists in the city.
Several major arts organizations operate within the building, including The New School for Drama and the Martha Graham Center for Contemporary Dance. These institutions shape daily life in the complex and draw performers and artists from across the city.
The building provides affordable housing specifically for visual artists and is designed with studios and shared spaces. Visitors can explore public areas, though it remains a private residential complex where residents' privacy is respected.
Groundbreaking communication technologies were developed within these walls, including the first talking movie and the first television broadcast. This hidden scientific history beneath a modern artists' home shows how the space completely reinvented itself.
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