New York's Sunset Park military terminal becomes 5,000 sqm creative hub

New York City is converting the former Sunset Park military terminal into a 5,000-square-meter creative hub. The project, led by ArtBuilt in partnership with the NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) and the Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), will house about fifty tenants including artists, architects, designers, and artisans. Studios and ateliers ranging from 20 to 350 square meters will be rented at affordable rates. This initiative stems from ArtBuilt's market research launched in late 2015, which found that artists were being priced out of Brooklyn due to commercial redevelopment and rising rents. The terminal is part of the broader AREA (Affordable Real Estate for Artists) program announced by Mayor Bill de Blasio in 2015, aiming to create 500 affordable creative hubs citywide. New York City has invested approximately $115 million in the terminal renovations. ArtBuilt executive director Esther Robinson noted that the market was not favorable to artists, prompting the search for abandoned industrial space. Co-executive director Guy Buckles emphasized that New York would be poorer without its small producers. Cultural commissioner Tom Finkelpearl stated that the project ensures artists can continue to live and work in the city. The article also mentions a parallel Italian initiative under a 2015 ministerial decree to convert state-owned buildings into creative hubs for young artists at a symbolic rent of €150 per month, though no completion is reported.