Whole Foods could replace W’burg art center

210 Kent Avenue (source: PropertyShark)
Monster Island arts center in Williamsburg is closing due to rising property prices, the Art Newspaper reported, and rumor has it a Whole Foods is taking its place. The warehouse, at 210 Kent Avenue between North 3rd Street and Metropolitan Avenue, was home to the groups of artists, musicians and retailers that operated under Secret Project Robot, a not-for-profit cultural institution founded in 2004. But the rundown warehouse is scheduled for demolition, as recent market reports show property prices in the area have increased 10 percent in the last year alone. “Monster Island has become one of the last standing institutions of what Williamsburg once was, a hub of creativity and excitement. The closing of it is very sad,” Vashti Windish, the director of artist-run gallery Live with Animals that rented space in the center, told the newspaper. The warehouse was purchased in 2007 for $4.11 million, according to public records, by an LLC called Ctwf Acquisition that shares an address with discreet developers the Chetrit Group. [Art Newspaper]