NYCEEC provided a low-cost Green Predevelopment Loan to Westbeth Artists Housing, a not-for-profit that provides affordable housing and studios for artists and their families in Manhattan. Westbeth’s mission is to be a resource and generator of artistic endeavor for artists working in the fields of literary, visual, and performing arts. The complex includes spaces devoted to the creation and presentation of art by residents, guest artists, and arts organizations. Westbeth Artists Housing is one of the first examples of adaptive reuse of industrial buildings for artistic and residential use in the United States. The complex was originally constructed in the 1860s and converted to Artists Housing in the early 1960s. The complex has been designated a New York City Landmark by the NYC Landmarks Preservation Commission.

The NYCEEC Green Predevelopment Loan will fund predevelopment costs such as architectural and engineering design work required to retrofit the eight buildings. NYCEEC’s loan will help enable Westbeth to pursue window replacements, energy efficiency measures such as upgrading the LED lighting, weatherization, and elevator modernization while also being able to preserve affordable housing and meet landmark requirements. Given that the property is designated as a landmark site, Westbeth must comply with specific design requirements.

Westbeth to pursue window replacements, energy efficiency measures such as solar photovoltaic systems, green roofs, upgrades to LED lighting, weatherization, and elevator modernizations while also being able to preserve affordable housing and meet landmark design requirements.