Atlas Obscura - Curious and Wondrous Travel Destinations
Gowanus Ballroom is permanently closed.

Gowanus Ballroom

A working metal shop and venue for outrageous art and music shows in a former cannonball factory. 

108
584

This gargantuan 16,000-square-foot space was formerly a steel mill and before that a cannonball factory. These days it’s home, most of the time, to Serett Metalworks, a metal crafting, fabrication, sculpting, building, and design firm.

And a few times a year, they push all the gigantic metalworking machines into a corner and open the cavernous space up for events, from massive art spectacles to a neo–science fair, from a circus arena to a music venue.

The group art shows, which feature emerging artists and designers, showcase huge paintings, photography, sculptures, and interactive installations from up to fifty artists at a time. Then there’s the really crazy shit, including a piano dropped from 50 feet onto a tower of champagne glasses, and a flaming shopping cart catapult

The Ballroom was clobbered by Superstorm Sandy in 2012, and while things were dicey for awhile, the space appears to still be going strong.

** article adapted with permission from this piece on Brooklyn Spaces.

Community Contributors
Added by

July 8, 2013

Make an Edit Add Photos
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web