Inside Powerhouse Arts, Formerly the Batcave of Gowanus

Inside Powerhouse Arts, Formerly the Batcave of Gowanus

Photos by Albert Vecerka, Nicholas Calcott and Selvon Ramsawak, Courtesy of Powerhouse Arts Center

Join a custom tour of Powerhouse Arts to discover the state-of-the-art redevelopment and architectural marvel of the reimagined Brooklyn Rapid Transit Power Station! 

  • Discover how this formerly abandoned building in Gowanus, which dates back to 1904, has transformed into a not-for-profit purpose-built space committed to creative expression
  • Step inside the Grand Hall which once housed the BRT power station’s dynamo and eight 4,000 horsepower steam engines
  • See the organization’s state-of-the-art, purpose-built production facility where expert fabrication teams collaborate with artists like Faith Ringold, Michael Joo, and Pamela Council

About the event:

Untapped New York Insiders are invited to explore the fabrication shops, administrative offices, and multipurpose spaces of Powerhouse Arts, a resurrected architectural gem in Brooklyn!

This 8-story brick building designed by Thomas Edward Murray was constructed between 1901 to 1904. It originally served as the Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company (BRT) Central Power Station Engine Home. After the BRT decommissioned the facility in the 1950s, it sat derelict for decades. Half of the building, the Boiler House, was lost, leaving just the Turbine Hall standing. It earned the nickname, “The Batcave.”
 
In 2017, restoration plans were announced. Herzog & de Meuron in collaboration with PBDW Architects took on the challenge of re-imagining and reconstructing the building, which was designated an NYC Landmark in 2019. Today, this creative production center caters to the multidisciplinary needs of New York artists the surrounding communities with flexible workshop configurations, spaces dedicated to teaching and learning, and space for community gathering and exchange.
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