Shea Stadium, the beloved East Williamsburg DIY venue that closed abruptly earlier this month, launched a Kickstarter campaign this morning to raise $50,000 to fund renovations and permit applications. The love for the space is so big that they have already raised over half of what they asked for with more money pouring in every second.
The venue’s founders acknowledge that their goals were different when they first started: “When we first opened Shea Stadium in 2009, we never expected the space would become a full-time venue. Shea was originally intended to act mainly as a recording studio, but to keep the lights on, we began throwing more shows to subsidize our rent.”
As a result, Shea Stadium didn’t necessarily go through the traditional process of permitting. Therefore, recent increased pressure from authorities led to their abrupt closure. The closure, of course, did not just affect the artists who played on Shea’s stage but removed “the focal point of an entire ecosystem of artists that provide[s] support and fosters creative action in the world.”
If you want to help keep DIY music spaces alive, you had better hurry. At this rate, the Kickstarter campaign will be fully-funded within hours, and the rewards sound pretty fantastic, including a free admission for you and a plus one to any show when the venue reopens for only $25.
The highest reward level ($2,500) will get you a house party curated by the Shea Stadium family anywhere in the tri-state area. One of those has already been claimed, and there’s only one left with 29 days left to go in the campaign still.
The bulk of the raised funds will go to architect fees and renovations required by the Department of Buildings, Fire Department, and Department of Health. But when the space is up to code, the space will “have higher visibility and open up to new types of programming, including free daytime events and workshops.”
We’re excited to see how Shea Stadium navigates the transition into 100% legal venuehood!
Featured image courtesy of Shea Stadium.