The Whale Building is a contemporary art venue in Sunset Park housing artist studios and rotating exhibitions. The seven-story former whale oil refinery features soaring ceilings up to 25 feet and raw industrial spaces that accommodate large-scale photographic and video work.
The Whale Building opened its doors to the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition after a five-alarm fire destroyed their Red Hook warehouse in September 2025, erasing 35 years of institutional memory and leaving hundreds of artists without studio space. Housed in a seven-story former Whale Oil Company building at 14 53rd Street, its 12- to 25-foot ceilings and raw industrial footprint have attracted photographers, video studios, and now BWAC's rotating exhibitions. The space operates at a different scale than typical Brooklyn galleries. Polished concrete floors, soaring arches, and 20,000+ square feet of waterfront-facing rooms give artists room to think large. The Whale Building is a second home born from necessity and pragmatism, but its openness to housing art when Red Hook could not is its defining measure.
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