Move over, Javits Center.
The new Brooklyn Expo Center in Greenpoint opened its doors last weekend for an antiques and book show. It went off without a hitch, thanks in part to the renovations the building’s controversial owner made to the high-ceilinged, box-shaped building, according to a spokeswoman for the event’s organizer.
“The space worked so well for the event,” said Leigh Infield. “The glass windows from floor to ceiling bring in so much light and people pick up on that energy.”
The cavernous space that is now open for business at 79 Franklin St., at Noble Street, is a single open room the size of six basketball courts. Another, attached space that takes up the area of two and a half basketball courts is slated to become part of the convention center but is currently occupied by retail tenants. A third space in a separate, five-story building is under construction.
The two-day fair drew more than 4,000 people and there is a lot of demand for place to hold events of its size, as opposed to the gargantuan corporate affairs that take place across the East River, a manager said.
“There are a lot of community-based type events that do not need as much space as a place like the Javits Center,” Brooklyn Expo Center site manager Michelle McConnell. “And this neighborhood is very special and beautiful.”
The Brooklyn Expo Center is among the latest projects of development mogul Joshua Guttman. Guttman’s waterfront Greenpoint Terminal Market mysteriously burned to the ground eight years ago and his latest project in the neighborhood caught still-suspicious area residents by surprise.
At this point, Guttman is renting the hall for $15,000 per event day and $12,000 per load in or out day.
