New York State Decides Not To Sell The Williamsburg Armory
Image: NY Daily News
Your first question must be, “Since when does Williamsburg have an armory?” Well, since the late 19th century. And until this week, the 165,000-square-foot stronghold was up for sale by the State.
The National Guard armory at 355 Marcy Avenue has been taken off the market by Governor Cuomo et. al, The Daily News reports, following its recent success as a filming location and increasingly popular events site. In the last two years alone, Spiderman 2 and Noah have taken over the space, earning the State nearly $700,000 in revenue.
The fact that this gorgeous old building has been saved from possible conversion—or worse, destruction—is something to celebrate, but not everyone’s happy about it. The Satmar Hasidic sects in Williamsburg have been vying for the armory since it closed in 2011, hoping to open a school in the massive space, and now the community has been soundly denied a chance to own it.
Still, unless the filming and renting opportunities keep rolling in, New York State has very little incentive to hold onto what is surely a high maintenance building. So don’t be surprised if it goes to market in the next few years.
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