In 2013, The Brant Foundation acquired the former studio of Walter De Maria and subsequently hired Gluckman Tang to convert the 15,000 square foot building into a new exhibition space for the arts foundation.

Located in the East Village, the century old building was originally designed by William H. Whitehall as a substation for the New York Edison Company. The renovation features 7,000 square feet of new exhibition space arrayed across four floors, as well as two new gardens adjacent to the structure and a new roof terrace.

Great care was taken during all portions of the design process to ensure that the previously unconditioned space would meet the stringent environmental guidelines required for housing art, while also embracing its unique industrial and artistic history of both the building and surrounding neighborhood.

The Brant Foundation inaugurated this space in March 2019  with an exhibition of works by Jean-Michel Basquiat – reconnecting the East Village to a seminal figure of its past. Jean-Michel Basquiat was curated by Dr. Dieter Buchhart, and organized in collaboration with Fondation Louis Vuitton. 

The East Village foundation and exhibition have been featured in The New York Times, Architectural Digest, The Architect’s Newspaper, and numerous art trade publications.

Gluckman Tang and The Brant Foundation received the 2019 Village Preservation Award for meticulously and thoughtfully renovating a historic building, and bringing a new public arts-oriented purpose to the neighborhood.