Artist Barry X Ball ditching W’burg for $18M Greenpoint space

Sculptor Barry X Ball is carving out a space for himself in Greenpoint.

The artist is moving his studio and staff from 97 Grand Street in Williamsburg to 193 Banker Street in Greenpoint, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Once completed, the Banker Street site will house a renovated 11,000-square-foot warehouse, a new 8,000-square-foot structure and a 2,500-square-foot outdoor stone storage yard and workspace. The complex was designed by Andrew Berman Architect and built by construction manager Richter+Ratner, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Ball bought the Greenpoint site four years ago, according to the paper, and the $18 million complex is due to open in the spring. The extra space will allow Ball to double his staff to 30 people. As the property is in an industrial business zone he will be able to make use of property tax breaks and employee tax credits. Last month, the City Council indicated it would be releasing a report that analyzed at the many tax breaks available to developers, some of which are for the redevelopment of industrial sites.

The new space in Greenpoint has been funded by unnamed patrons, and will include a sandblasting room, two grinding rooms for stone removal and a wet room for washing stone. The complex will be able to support heavy machinery and stone blocks weighing up to 22 tons.

“When it opens, it will be the only comprehensive stone fabrication facility in the world,” Ball told the paper. [WSJ] — Miriam Hall