AMZN Amazon.com Inc

By Charles Passy 

Starting in the '80s, the western Queens neighborhood of Long Island City became a haven for artists of all kinds. They were drawn for the same reasons that previously attracted creative types to an area like Manhattan's now upscale Soho neighborhood -- namely, the rents were cheap and the spaces, often in former industrial locations, were large.

But as with Soho, Long Island City began to see its share of gentrification, with condo developments galore in recent years. As artists were often priced out of the market, they voiced concerns that the neighborhood was losing the bohemian character that long defined it.

Now, with the announcement that Amazon.com Inc. is planning to locate one of its two new headquarters in the neighborhood, many see it as a possible sign of Long Island City's final artistic demise.

"We're worried. We're apprehensive," said Jonathan Lev, an Israeli-born artist who has lived and worked in the neighborhood since 1996.

The concern, of course, is that Amazon's arrival will accelerate the gentrification process. But it may simply be too soon to tell if such fears have any basis in reality.

For starters, the neighborhood has a cultural infrastructure of sorts, with a number of organizations that have existed for many years. Among them: MoMA PS1, the Chocolate Factory Theater, the Local Project art space and the Secret Theatre.

In some cases, the organizations are embracing their future in Long Island City. The Chocolate Factory, which produces and presents a variety of performing-arts events, recently purchased a new location in the neighborhood.

Moreover, there is hope that Amazon will directly contribute to Long Island City's cultural scene by setting aside space on its campus for arts groups, as New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio mentioned briefly in his comments announcing Amazon's arrival. "A lot of things people have been arguing for, fighting for, they're going to be there," he said, also noting other benefits to the state and city's agreement with the online retailer.

An Amazon spokesman wouldn't provide full details about such plans, but in a statement the company has said it "will donate space on its campus for use by local artists and industrial businesses."

On top of that, Amazon will bring thousands of employees to Long Island City, all of whom could be cultural consumers of one kind or another, if not cultural philanthropists, as some arts observers have pointed out.

Still, some local artists and others remain skeptical -- in part, because Amazon has never placed a huge emphasis on cultural philanthropy in its home city of Seattle.

To some extent, Amazon doesn't deny that. While the company does support arts-related endeavors, including an artist-in-residence program, its community efforts often focus on STEM education and areas such as child hunger and disaster relief.

There is also the question of what will happen to Long Island City's Plaxall Gallery, a 12,000-square-foot space that is something of a hub for the local arts community. Plaxall, the Long Island City plastics company that owns the site, provides it to artists free.

But the gallery is on property slated to become part of Amazon's Long Island City campus Plaxall won't discuss the terms of its real-estate transaction with Amazon. A Plaxall spokesman said that it has been in discussion with the gallery's artistic director, Edjo Wheeler, about "a future space."

Mr. Wheeler confirmed that Plaxall seems intent on preserving the gallery. But he said he still worries for the neighborhood's artistic future, adding that even artists who are fortunate enough to own their space may be squeezed out by rising property taxes.

Whatever the case, he encourages Amazon to pay heed to the neighborhood's cultural community. "Nobody wants to live in a city where there's no art," he said.

Write to Charles Passy at cpassy@wsj.com

(END) Dow Jones Newswires

November 19, 2018 07:14 ET (12:14 GMT)

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