New $21M home for Lower East Side’s ABC No Rio art space tops out

After breaking ground in summer 2024, construction began for a new home for ABC No Rio, the iconic DIY punk rock venue and arts/cultural space that had been a fixture on the Lower East Side’s street scene since 1980. On Friday, leaders and volunteers from ABC No Rio joined city officials to celebrate the “topping out” of their new home at 156 Rivington Street. The $21 million facility, funded by the city, will replace the tenement building previously occupied by the venue. The new building, designed by Paul A. Castrucci Architects and scheduled to open in late 2026, will meet LEED Silver and Passive House energy efficiency standards.

The Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), and other local leaders were on hand to celebrate the completion of the building’s superstructure, 15 months after breaking ground.

Construction began on the new four-story social center and performance, art, and activism space in September 2024. Set to open in fall 2026, the new center will offer a darkroom, a screen printing facility, a small press library, digital resources, spaces for art, music, performance, and educational activities, and meeting and office space.

“ABC No Rio has been at the heart of this neighborhood’s DIY arts scene for decades. Now, with its new home, it will shine even brighter as a hub for inclusive, creative communities—where arts programming stays open, affordable, and accessible for everyone,” Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo said in a statement. “We’re proud to support this future with our $21 million investment and excited to celebrate this milestone in ABC No Rio’s journey.”

As 6sqft previously reported, the new building signifies a successful return to the organization’s original “art squat” address on Rivington Street after a storied decade-long journey. The arts co-operative moved into the LES tenement in 1980 and quickly became a neighborhood fixture known for its creative facade as well as its all-ages hardcore shows.

After a long battle to stave off eviction, the non-profit was able to buy the building for $1 in 2006, with a promise to take responsibility for renovating the dilapidated structure. But neighborhood gentrification would put renovation costs out of reach as the organization struggled to move forward. The building was demolished in 2016, with plans in place for a new, energy-efficient replacement.

Due in part to the tireless efforts of the organization’s director, Steve Englander, who sadly passed away in 2024, the city contributed $21 million to the project’s development via the mayor’s Department of Cultural Affairs, the borough president’s office, and City Council members, with funds also raised by the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation and the New York State Council of the Arts; the organization itself contributed $1.7 million.

“ABC No Rio has always been more than just our building,” said Gavin Marcus, ABC No Rio Director. “We are a collective of artists, activists, and radical thinkers who believe in the power of collaboration and resource sharing to spark conversation, community, and mutual support.

“Our new home will continue to be an inclusive focal point for affordable, accessible arts and a meeting space for the city’s free thinkers, activists, artists, and musicians, united in a spirit of solidarity.”

The architects led a “hard hat tour” of the space during this year’s Open House New York event, giving visitors an early peek at its new performance spaces, exhibition galleries, and artist studios, and a chance to preview some of the ambitious and diverse programming in the works.

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