News and Press Releases

For Immediate Release: November 3, 2025

 

Contact: publicaffairs@culture.nyc.gov

 

CITY CELEBRATES "TOPPING OUT" OF ABC NO RIO'S NEW $21 MILLION LOWER EAST SIDE BUILDING

ABC No Rio project rendering. Credit: Paul A. Castrucci Architects.

 

Additional renderings, along with photos and videos from the topping out ceremony, are available here.

 

New York, NY – On Friday, October 31, the ABC No Rio community joined officials from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA), NYC Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC), and other local leaders to mark the topping out of No Rio's new, $21 million, city-funded home being built on Rivington Street on Manhattan's Lower East Side. Construction on the new facility started in July 2024, and 15 months later the building's superstructure is now complete. The building is expected to open in Fall 2026.

Founded in 1980, the renowned Lower East Side arts center, has long embodied the neighborhood’s unique creative legacy. ABC No Rio’s new four-story building will be a multi-use arts center. Built on the same site as its beloved former tenement-turned-community center, it will include a photo darkroom, screen printing facility, small press library, digital resources, and expanded space for art, music, performance, educational and community activities, as well as meeting and office space for ABC No Rio and other Organizations.

Designed to meet LEED Silver and the rigorous Passive House standard for sustainability and energy efficiency by Castrucci Architects, the building will be significantly more efficient than the state energy code requires. The project also includes water conservation and storm-water management features: low-flow plumbing fixtures, rainwater collection, and an 1100 square foot green roof.

“ABC No Rio has been at the heart of this neighborhood’s DIY arts scene for decades,” said Cultural Affairs Commissioner Laurie Cumbo. “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. We’re proud to support this future with our $21 million investment and excited to celebrate this milestone in ABC No Rio’s journey.”

"ABC No Rio’s new home stands as a model for sustainable, community-focused development," said New York City Economic Development Corporation (NYCEDC) President & CEO Andrew Kimball. "As the first Passive House project in EDC history, ABC No Rio is growing its community footprint while reducing its environmental impact. We’re proud to support a space that looks toward the future – boasting top-tier energy efficiency that far surpasses City standards, while cementing its long legacy as a hub for creativity on the Lower East Side.”

“ABC No Rio has always been more than just our building. 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. However, with a physical space, our mission gains a focal point around which our community can center. 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,” said Gavin Marcus, ABC No Rio Director.

"It’s been wonderful working with first Steven and then Gavin on this project. The building strives to be the physical manifestation of ABC No Rio’s bold, inclusive mission, and we're proud to provide the collective with this LEED certified, Passive House certified building—one as forward-thinking as the community it serves,” said Paul Castrucci.

 In addition to the $21 million in city funds provided through DCLA by the NYC Mayor's Office, City Council, and Manhattan Borough President, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, through the Lower Manhattan Development Corporation (LMDC), contributed $275,000 toward the building.

For over 40 years ABC No Rio has been a place where people shared resources and ideas to impact society, culture and community in an atmosphere of camaraderie and mutual support. Through new construction, ABC No Rio will build dramatically improved facilities for our cultural, community and educational activities:

• Create spaces specifically designed for ABCNo Rio programs and events
• Double the size ofthe gallery and performance space
• Increase programming and audience diversity
• Install an elevator and make the buildingwheelchair accessible
• Provide a model public Passive House building
• Install newenergy- and water-efficient building-wide systems
• Increase capacity for alternative energy use

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About ABC No Rio

ABC No Rio is a volunteer-led nonprofit community center for arts and activism. Since 1980, we have provided a home for the culture of opposition and DIY spirit – facilitating cross-pollination between artists and activists committed to current social movements.

 

About NYCEDC

New York City Economic Development Corporation is a mission-driven, nonprofit organization that works for a vibrant, inclusive, and globally competitive economy for all New Yorkers. We take a comprehensive approach, through four main strategies: strengthen confidence in NYC as a great place to do business; grow innovative sectors with a focus on equity; build neighborhoods as places to live, learn, work, and play; and deliver sustainable infrastructure for communities and the city's future economy. To learn more about what we do, visit us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

About NYC Department of Cultural Affairs

The New York City Department of Cultural Affairs (DCLA) is dedicated to supporting and strengthening New York City’s vibrant cultural life. DCLA works to promote and advocate for quality arts programming and to articulate the contribution made by the cultural community to the City’s vitality. The Department represents and serves nonprofit cultural organizations involved in the visual, literary, and performing arts; public-oriented science and humanities institutions including zoos, botanical gardens, and historic and preservation societies; and creative artists at all skill levels who live and work within the City’s five boroughs. DCLA also provides donated materials for arts programs offered by the public schools and cultural and social service groups, and commissions permanent works of public art at City-funded construction projects throughout the five boroughs. For more information visit www.nyc.gov/culture.