The Kitchen Arts Center

 theatre, 1927_construction

4-story theater building completed in 1946. Designed by Cory & Cory (Russell G. Cory and Walter M. Cory) as an ice storage building, the facade is clad in tan brick with a stone band course above the ground floor. Due to its original use as an icehouse, the only two windows are located on the right side of the facade, about midway up. The center of the facade has an interlocking diamond pattern in the brickwork. There is another stone band course below the roof parapet. In 1986 the building was converted to a performance center.

It is called The Kitchen since it actually started out in the kitchen of the Mercer Arts Center in 1971. The Kitchen is one of New York City’s oldest nonprofit spaces, showing innovative work by emerging and established artists across disciplines. Programs range from dance, music, performance, and theater, to video, film, and art, in addition to literary events, artists’ talks, and lecture series.