Westbeth Artists Community

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Westbeth Artists Community, located at 463 West Street in the West Village neighborhood of the New York City borough of Manhattan, is the largest such community in the world. This low to middle income rental housing was developed with the assistance of the Kaplan Fund and federal funds in 1968 to house artists, their families, and their studios. The buildings were once the site of the former Bell Telephone Laboratories which opened in 1897 and produced many early telephone and electronic inventions. The first experimental talkies motion picture were made here in 1923. In 1970, Westbeth opened after renovation was completed by the architect Richard Mieier.

Today, in addition to housing, Westbeth is also home to a number of cultural organizations, including the New School Drama School, the Bank Street Theatre, the Brecht Forum, and Beth Simchat Synagogue - the first gay and lesbian synagogue in the village.

The Westbeth arts community, under the auspices of the Westbeth Artists Residents Council provides free cultural events to the public such as readings, performances, and films, and runs the Westbeth Art Gallery which exhibits the work of both resident and outside artists.

Comprised of 383 residential units in thirteen inter-connected buildings on the block between West and Bethune Streets, ("West-Beth"), Westbeth Artists' Housing is administered by HUD and is part of the federally funded Section 8 rental program. The building has housed a number of influential artists including Merce Cunningham, Diane Arbus, Gil Evans, Moses Gunn, Vin Diesel, Christina Maile, Billy Harper, and Robert Beauchamp.