WestView

Westbeth At A Generational Divide - Part I

December 2009

By Eileen Stukane

An “In Memoriam” frame for names of departed Westbethers hangs on the wall not far from the elevator bank on the first floor. An elevator opens, and a woman in a fitted leather jacket, skinny jeans and Ugg boots pushes her toddler’s stroller into the lobby. Westbeth, the subsidized artists’ housing complex that opened its doors to an experiment in living in 1970, continues the experiment with an added twist, the shifting of generations.

When Merce Cunningham, who established his dance company’s studio on the 11th floor in 1971, died in July at age 90, it was another reminder that the originals, the innovators who moved into Westbeth in the early 70s when it faced the West Side Elevated Highway and turned its back to civilized Manhattan, were disappearing. Winner of the Village Voice’s 2005 “Best Residence for Aging Bohemians,” Westbeth seemed to have traded its cache as a bastion of promising artists, for the title of NORC (Naturally Occurring Retirement Community). “The joke is that when the place opened they had to put up signs about skateboarding in the halls; now the concern is wheelchairs in the halls,” says Steven Neil, executive director of the Westbeth Center for the Arts. According to Neil, an analysis of tenant data two years ago showed that two-thirds of Westbeth was over age 60, and over half of that population was over 70, but that was then. Today more children of tenants have been income-certified to take over their parents’ apartments, and more apartments have become available as tenants have moved on, or moved to assisted living, or left for The Great Beyond. Younger artists who have been on the (now closed) waiting list for more than a decade, are arriving with spouses and children who once again own skateboards. Last year eight apartments became homes to new families in Westbeth. That may not seem a lot out of 383 apartments, but it’s more movement than has occurred in the past. This sense of renewal dovetails with Westbeth’s latest accolades: an October listing on the State Register of Historic Places, (virtually assuring listing on the National Register of Historic Places); an October announcement that it is being considered by the Landmarks Preservation Commission for designation as a New York City Landmark (like the Empire State and Chrysler Buildings). It’s about time for the five-building complex that occupies the four cornered block of Washington, Bank, West, and Bethune Streets to gain recognition. Westbeth is a rarity.

The original concept of Westbeth was that it would be a place where young painters, sculptors, writers, filmmakers, musicians, and performing artists could nurture their creativity without having to worry about the rent, which would be federally subsidized and minimal. Resident artists would live and work there for about five years, when they would presumably have established themselves enough to move out and on … but everyone stayed put, and why not.

Westbeth rents range from $604 for a studio (400 square feet) to $1662 for a three-bedroom (1100 square feet), probably a quarter the price of comparable West Village rentals in today’s market. To qualify for Westbeth an applicant must be certified as either low-or-moderate income, as defined by the federal government. If tenants’ incomes increase over the federal guidelines, they do not have to move, but they must pay a surcharge, which can be as much as 60 percent over their base rents. Many are waiting to take a space, and as the younger artists – in their 30s and 40s since they were on the waiting list more than 10 years – are coming in, an inspirational cause-and-effect is taking place.

Jack Dowling, the Visual Arts chair of the Westbeth Artists Residents Council and director of the Gallery, speaks about the new energy in “the wave of art beginning to happen below 14th Street. The HighLine has an arts tour that we’ll be a part of. There are about eight galleries below 14th Street now, and having the Whitney nearby soon, that’s excellent.” Dowling has lived in Westbeth since 1971 and has been directing the gallery for over 10 years. The Gallery’s two-part holiday show (November 14 to January 10, 2010) presents the work of Westbeth artists whether they have lived here 40 or four years. “Some artists have their work stored in half of their apartments and their beds are pushed into a corner, but they’re so devoted and committed to what they do that they just keep going,” he says. Stan Satlin, a songwriter, producer, driving force behind the annual Westbeth Music Festival, and a resident since 1974 adds, “After all these years here I’m more excited about Westbeth than ever before, the music festival, the energy, the musicians that have just come into the building, makes it feel as if we’ve come full circle.”

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