The scaffolding netting is finally off the new ABC No Rio building on Rivington Street, giving Lower East Side neighbors their first full look at the four-story structure that's replacing the longtime arts and activism hub's former tenement home. The reveal shows off a planting screen and green facade that will eventually support vegetation, part of a design meant to double as both a sunshade and a reflection of ABC No Rio's environmental politics and community rootedness.
As reported by EV Grieve, the roughly 8,800-square-foot building was designed by local architect Paul Castrucci and meets Passive House energy-efficiency standards, with high-performance insulation and other features built in to cut energy use. The outlet, which covers East Village news, also reported on the building's newly revealed exterior.
A Long Road Back to 156 Rivington Street
ABC No Rio members originally bought the building at 156 Rivington Street from the city for a dollar back in 2006, according to Hyperallergic. The old structure didn't survive to see the new one rise: it was demolished in 2016 after being deemed beyond repair, per The Architect's Newspaper. In the years since, ABC No Rio's programs and operations have continued “in exile” at other venues, according to the organization's own account of its history.
The rebuild is being led by the city's Economic Development Corporation, which describes the project as a new four-story core-and-shell building at 156 Rivington Street on the Lower East Side, per edc.nyc. That agency's project page lays out a first floor and basement dedicated to exhibition spaces, plus a rear gallery that can convert into a meeting room or theater, with studios and staff offices on the upper floors. The city put $21 million toward the project, according to The New York Times, which also described the surrounding neighborhood as having been completely transformed in the years since ABC No Rio first took root there.
Galleries, a Darkroom and a Rooftop Garden
Beyond the exhibition spaces, the finished building is expected to house a kitchen, offices, a photography darkroom, a print shop, a zine library, a computer lab and a rooftop garden, per The Architect's Newspaper's earlier reporting on the plans. Construction began in late August 2024, according to Hyperallergic. ABC No Rio said the building's superstructure was topped out by October 31, 2025, according to the organization's own announcement. That same announcement said the new building will include an elevator and be wheelchair accessible, and will feature low-flow plumbing fixtures, rainwater collection and an 1,100-square-foot green roof.
Architect Paul Castrucci has said the planting screen and green facade serve as both a practical sun shade and what he calls a poetic statement on the group's sustainable vision, according to his firm's project page. He has also said the Passive House approach is expected to cut the building's energy use by 75 percent, a figure cited in the same account. ABC No Rio describes itself as a volunteer-led nonprofit community center for arts and activism, a mission the new building is meant to carry forward on the same Rivington Street footprint where it first began.
No Firm Opening Date Yet
Exactly when the doors will open remains unsettled, and the available estimates don't line up. ABC No Rio's own website has said the new home is expected to open in fall 2026, while Hyperallergic reported the facility was expected to partially open in mid-2026. The Architect's Newspaper previously reported that construction was slated for completion in 2027, and EV Grieve's latest report states the new space is expected to open in early 2027. For now, the newly visible facade stands as the clearest public sign of how close the long-delayed project has come to completion.
