Building:
HomeBase I was located on the 3rd floor of a 3500 sq ft, three-floor brick building in Greenpoint Brooklyn. The 3rd floor was formerly The Polish & Slavic Federal Credit Union, founded in 1976 by a group of enthusiasts and led by Rev. Longin Tolczyk.
History of Site:
The founders wanted to help immigrants who, upon arrival in New York City, wanted to buy houses in Greenpoint but were turned down by the banks. Banks were unwilling to extend credits for purchases or renovations of real estate properties to people who did not yet have an established credit history, especially since these properties were located in an area that was run-down at the time. The first office was located at 940 Manhattan Avenue, and moved to the Greenpoint headquarters location in 1981.*
Landlord:
Landlord, Dr. Florin Merovici, generously donated the space to HomeBase one as the space transitioned from foreclosed credit union to modern condos for Brooklyn new-comers.
Neighborhood
Greenpoint was founded in 1657 by Dutch settlers. The name refers to a small peninsula of land—at what is now the westernmost end of Freeman Street—that protruded into the East River; hence the name Green Point. In the nineteenth century, Greenpoint established itself as a center of shipbuilding and waterborne commerce. Its shipbuilding, printing, pottery, glassworks and foundries were staffed by generation after generation of hardworking immigrants. The homes built for the merchants and the buildings erected for their workers sprang up along streets that lead down to the waterfront.
In the last 20 years, the neighborhood has seen an influx of new residents, bringing in more money, and inevitably driving up the value and cost of living. Today, rents in Greenpoint are among Brooklyn’s highest, and new construction is prevalent on streets where most buildings date back up to a century.*
* Majority of historical information provided taken directly from Wikipedia.
About:
HomeBase I took place in conjunction with the Israeli art week and the NY Armory show. A group of 14 Polish, Israeli and American artists, were invited to work in the space for a month, and to create in it a site specific work related to the notion of Home. This exploration reflected on the characteristics of the building, a former bank office, the Polish neighborhood, and the personal interpretation of Home.
