The Knockdown Center, located at 52-19 Flushing Avenue in Maspeth, Queens, is one of New York City’s most diverse and happening destinations for music, live performances, exhibitions and other events on Tuesday, March 7. hosted two private media tours.
The 50,000-square-foot former factory on 3 acres opened in 2014 as an arts center, concert and nightlife venue. The factory was built in his 1903 and housed the Gleason Tybout glassworks and later the Manhattan Door factory. The venue’s name pays tribute to Samuel Sklar’s 1956 invention of the knock-down door frame.
The sprawling venue features eight indoor spaces, a gallery that hosts public programs and exhibitions showcasing the work of artists from around the world, and a backyard that hosts concerts and parties each summer, including underground techno-dance club Basement. I have. Here, electronic music fans can dance from 10:30pm until early morning to the beats of top he artists and up-and-coming techno he artists from around the world.
The tour starts from the main space. The 20,000-square-foot space is state-of-the-art room for concerts and events, accommodating up to 2,000 guests.
Tyler Myers, executive director and co-founder of Knockdown Center, described the upstairs space as “most used,” and has seen things like Fatboy Slim.
Fine art producer Myers stumbled upon this building while looking for a place to paint a large tent. Historic and industrial architecture inspired him to transform the factory into a multi-purpose venue.
“So when I first got here, it was a little far in 2011,” Myers said. “But I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is three acres. It’s 50,000 square feet under a roof with a basement. Let’s see what’s going on.’
Having overseen 13 venues and opened five venues as Corporate Operations Director for the House of Blues/Lives Nations, Myers envisioned transforming the factory into a one-of-a-kind venue.
The main space has hosted various genres of musical entertainment, from Carnegie Hall performing “West Side Story” at the Unsound Festival and Red Bull Music Academy Festival, to jazz performances. Recent highlights include his sold-out Tove Lo show, and upcoming events include Bushwig, Yeat, Young Nudy, Eric Andre’s 40th Birthday Party, Hot Chip and more.
“In my opinion, the architecture allows for a kind of event that would otherwise be difficult to find, or at least costly to do otherwise,” Myers said. “And that was ultimately the most exciting thing for me.”
The quarterly concert series “Outline” demonstrates curatorial interest for the Knockdown team.
“Our goal with this series is to showcase our curatorial interests and preferences,” said curator and talent buyer Jeff Klingman. “Hip-hop artists, pop artists, live artists, bringing in underground legends like ESG and Lightning His Bolt, it’s going to be completely cross-his genre.”
Clingman explained that the goal is to put together a show that is “at the level of a human curator, not necessarily delivered by an algorithm”, while also attracting grown talent beyond small clubs.
“We’re where they bring that show,” Clingman said. But as eclectic music fans of all stripes, we try to channel and bring what is meaningful to us. “
For upcoming events and concerts, visit https://knockdown.center/upcoming.
