Affordable Rehearsal Space Available for Rent in Long Island City

By Veronica Grecu, Associate Editor

With such a thriving arts and culture scene, New York City visual and performing artists are constantly on the lookout for new and affordable rehearsal spaces—while trying to stop the demolition of some already established artistic sites, such as the world famous 5Pointz which will be replaced by apartments.

Starting this week, city artists have access to Spaceworks LIC, a privately funded rental facility located at 33-02 Skillman Avenue in Long Island City that offers three rehearsal rooms and one music studio for performing artists. According to data from PropertyShark, the underutilized six-story building which is owned by Skillman Avenue Corp. was built in 1931 and was mainly used for storage.

Developed by the non-profit organization Spaceworks and backed by the Bloomberg administration, the $200,000 Spaceworks LIC is the first of five facilities which will create nearly 30,000 square feet of rental rehearsal space for city artists over the next two years. The other Spaceworks sites will be opened in Gowanus, Williamsburg and Governor’s Island.

“By integrating affordable workspace for artists into neighborhoods across the city, Spaceworks is helping us find innovative ways to attract the talented workers who help shape our City’s economy, identity and quality of life,” said Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a statement.

The 3,800-square-foot building features three large rehearsal spaces for dance and theater, as well as one music practice studio. These spaces will be rented online on an hourly basis, with prices ranging from $12 to $16 for a rehearsal studio. First time applicants will pay a one-time $10 application processing fee.

Images via https://spaceworksnyc.org