Thursday, May 28, 2026

Inside the new ABC No Rio

Photos and story by Stacie Joy 

After years in development — and nearly eight years after the former building was demolished — the new home for ABC No Rio is inching closer to opening on the Lower East Side.
ABC No Rio executive director Gavin Marcus recently gave us a full hard-hat tour of the building, which is now targeting a mid-July completion date for Phase 1 construction, followed by final inspections, furnishing and a certificate of occupancy process, with hopes of opening to the public by the end of October.

Plans are underway for an opening block party, concerts and an art show tied to the organization’s punk roots.
The new five-floor building at 156 Rivington St. between Clinton and Suffolk will include a 150-capacity performance venue, art gallery, zine library, print shop, computer lab, darkroom, community kitchen, meeting spaces and classrooms. The new ABC No Rio will also include a second-floor kitchen designed with input from Food Not Bombs, including community kitchen space for those who need it.
The eco-conscious building will also feature a green roof, solar panels and a planted, offset vine façade being developed with Brooklyn Grange.
"ABC No Rio is more than just a building. It's a culture," Marcus said during the tour. "And the culture shapes the character of the space."
The city has contributed $21 million toward the project through the Department of Cultural Affairs. 

ABC No Rio's previous building was demolished in 2017 after years of structural concerns.
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2 comments:

  1. Julie KesslerMay 28, 2026 at 10:31 AM

    Glad the center is still alive and will continue going. How did the name "ABC No Rio" come about?

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousMay 28, 2026 at 12:01 PM

    The unique name actually came about by accident. The founders occupied a storefront at 156 Rivington Street as part of a 1980 artists' protest exhibition. The building featured a mostly burned-out, dilapidated neon sign that originally read "Abogado Con Notario" (Spanish for "lawyer and notary public"). With most of the letters missing, only the phrase "Ab C No rio" remained, which the artists adopted as the name for their new space.

    ReplyDelete

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