Carter's Review

This attractive, 6-story building at 573 Metropolitan Avenue between Lorimer Street and Union Avenue in Williamsburg was erected in 1920 and was converted by Five Seventy Three PR in 2011 to 22 residential rental apartments after serving for several years as the 3^rd Ward artists’ enclave.

It is very close to the Lorimer station of the L subway.

Bottom Line

A pleasant mid-block rental building with a flamboyant and notorious recent history when it was known as 3^rd Ward.

Description

The beige-brick building has a one-story rusticated stone base with a small entrance marquee with attractive angled lintels over the first-story windows that are repeated on the top floor beneath a tightly dentilated stringcourse between the piers. 

The multi-paned windows have broad two-layer inset spandrels.

Amenities

The building has a roof deck, a 24-hour fitness center, and a bicycle room.

Apartments

The building’s website states that its one-bedroom units have stainless steel kitchen appliances and granite countertops, high ceilings, video intercoms and washers and dryers.

History

A July 2, 2010 article in The New York Times by Melena Ryzik noted that at its fourth anniversary party in June, “3^rd Ward, the arts and design collective in Bushwick, received a commendation from Mr. [Marty] Markowitz [the Brooklyn Borough President] for its program giving free bicycles to members.”

“Since its inception,” the article continued, “3^rd Ward has become something of a D.I.Y. utopia.  When Jason Goodman, 31, and his partner, Jeremy Lovitt, 30, conceived of it, it was a continuation of the facilities and atmosphere they had as students at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston: a grown-up campus….By the time they opened their doors in May 2006…while they built their clientele and space, they sustained themselves by hosting lavish rent parties in partnership with underground promoters.  The raucous till-dawn affairs, with rooftop fire spinners and marching bands in the hallways, often attracted the attention of the police….There are courses in children’s book illustration, digital textile design, plastic fabrication and professional development for performance artists.  Demand was so great that last year 3^rd Ward opened its overflow space in Williamsburg….3^rd War – named for the district it was in back when Williamsburg was its own city – now has about 750 members, up 15 percent this spring.”

An October 20, 2013 article in the New York Daily News by Tanay Warerkar noted that “Bushwick’s pioneering art mecca has closed – screwing over many of its loyal artists in the process and altering the face of a neighborhood it helped put on the hipster map at the same time,” adding that “Students and teachers at 3^rd Ward, which is located at 195 Morgan Ave., were outraged at the announcement of the hub’s closure this week…The center has been a haven for budding and established artists, and home to quirky classes like the ‘drink and draw’ series.”

An October 15, 2013 article at observer.com by Drew Grant provided some historical commentary on the building.

“3d Ward’s closure came as a shock.  Just this past January, its founder, 34-year-old Jason Goodman, boasted to website Smart Planet that the design incubator had done $4 million in business for 2012, with revenue coming in not just from membership fees but also from classes, leasing out studio and co-working space, and from outside investors.  What’s more, the brand was actually in the midst of an expansion, with a recently opened Philadelphia location and a $6 million culinary incubator in Crown Heights, set to open this month ($1.5 million of which came from the EDC and the Brooklyn Borough President’s Office.  After seven years of success, groups from all over the world were looking to adopt Mr. Goodman’s model of local teaching and community growth.  A round of fundraising that ended in 2012 seemed to soar expectations even higher: Joanne Wilson, wife of New York venture capitalist Fred Wilson, invested and became the director of 3^rd Ward’s board; billionaire Tony Hsieh gave several million on the promise that Mr. Goodman would open a 3^rd War in Las Vegas.”

The article also cited the Metro Building project, “where Mr. Goodman and 3^rd Ward co-founder Jeremy Levitt (who was bought out three years ago) lived with and where landlords to 50 artists in a Williamsburg building they had personally renovated until the Department of Buildings evicted all tenants.”

The “3^rd Ward Brooklyn” entry at Wikipedia.com has 50 references to articles about its operation.