Glasslands Gallery

Glasslands Gallery was a club in Williamsburg, located at 289 Kent Avenue. It was opened by Brooke Baxter and Rolyn Hu in 2006. Baxter had a previous gallery in the same building which was called Glass House Gallery. As a concert venue, Glasslands was one of the longest running venues on the Williamsburg waterfront. 

As notoriety grew Glasslands started to attract bigger acts including Kyp Malone from TV on the Radio, Grizzly Bear, Matt and Kim, Deerhunter, Kimya Dawson and Julianna Barwick. Vampire Weekend and the Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs, Bon Iver and MGMT were some of the earlier performances.  

While it was predominantly known as a music venue, visual artists were still featured including works by Erica Magrey, Brooke Borg, and DNA (Aaron Almendral and Mariano Delgado). They also held a monthly lecture series, rotating art installations, community fund-raising events, workshops and a free after school program. 

In 2011, major renovations took place which included removing rehearsal spaces so there was more room for the audience and moving the stage to the far back corner. Grasslands continual improvements allowed it to book some national touring acts that were looking for more intimate venues. These included acts such as Disclosure, Charlie XCX, Grimes, and Nils Frahm. 

Paper clouds which were installed above the stage were declared a fire hazard by the New York Fire Department and were replaced by LED tube clusters. The clouds were memorialized in the Glassland’s first t-shirts. 

After the closure of nearby venues, rumors circulated that Vice Media had plans for the whole warehouse complex for its new headquarters. Glasslands announced on October 21 that New Years Eve 2014 would be its last day. This announcement led to an outcry against Vice Media with many claiming it was destroying the very culture that led to Vice’s existence. Gentrification was also blamed with people remarking on the landmark Domino Sugar Refinery, located across the street from Glasslands, that was slated for demolition in order to build luxury condos. 

On December 15, 2014 Glasslands announced it’s final event, “Lastlands” for New Years Eve. Tickets sold out immediately. The line up included DIIV, Sky Ferreira, Smith Westerns and Beverly. A fan responded to the night saying, “RIP Glasslands, RIP Williamsburg, RIP Brooklyn.”