In New York, an artist’s ability to create work is often directly linked to their ability to secure affordable housing. In a city where the median rent was $4,295 in December, according to Redfin, that can seem impossible.
For decades, a small group of the city’s creative class hasn’t had to worry too much about the rising market-rate rent. The nonprofit Westbeth Artists Housing community, with 384 rent-stabilized and Section 8 units, has been an affordable haven for artists since 1970. Occupying an entire city block at the western edge of the West Village, it also comprises commercial spaces, artist studios and a gallery where residents show their work. Rents typically run from around $900 for a studio apartment to $1,400 for a three-bedroom. Many notable artists and performers have called it home, including Robert De Niro Sr., Paul Benjamin, Vin Diesel and Diane Arbus, who committed suicide there in 1971.
“It eased the pressure of having to make a living,” said Roger Braimon, 57, a painter, who was still paying off debt from graduate school when he moved into Westbeth. Mr. Braimon first applied to join the community in 1995, but didn’t get a spot until 2009. “There was always this belief that Westbeth was this utopia of artists, and living in New York was so amazing, but the affordability is looming,” he said.
The wait list to get an apartment at Westbeth is notorious, with more than 460 people currently eager to snag a spot. Many residents never leave, making vacancies especially rare. (The wait list is currently closed, having last been open in 2019.)
But if the community is utopian, the structure itself less so. Elevators frequently get stuck and are unreliable. The roof has been leaking intensely. The wooden window frames have been deteriorating. To address these issues and future-proof the building, the complex is undergoing its first major renovation since it opened 55 years ago. In October, work began on an $84 million overhaul, which will also include facade work and the addition of a green roof. And 32 apartments, which have been void of tenants and left in disrepair, will be gut renovated, making room for some lucky artists to get off the wait list.