About
New York is full of classical music halls, the Metropolitan Opera House, Carnegie Hall, but perhaps the most interesting venue for chamber music is on the hull of an old barge.
BargeMusic is a unique venue moored under the Brooklyn Bridge in Dumbo, Brooklyn. Dumbo (an acronym meaning Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass) is an area of Brooklyn that in the 1880s was full of industrial buildings, most notably home to the Brillo company which made steel wool. Today Dumbo, though still dwarfed by the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges, is home to design studios, pricey condos, and hip venues. But the 100-foot barge, built in 1899, started with a rather less chichi task then the one it occupies today. It carried hand-loaded sacks of coffee for the Erie Lackawanna Railroad.
The barge was renovated in 1977 by Olga Bloom and family. Staten Island's maritime scrap yard helped Olga out with her ambitious project by providing paneling, mahogany stripping and benches from the retired original Staten Island Ferry, The American Legion.
Referred to as New York City's "Floating Concert Hall", BargeMusic features established and emerging artists and is known for its excellent acoustics, intimate setting and great view of the Manhattan skyline. Considered a must see for both music and barge aficionados alike.
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As of January 2025, after over 5000 concerts, the floating venue was towed to a Staten Island shipyard to be scrapped. In the short term the Barge Music organization will continue to present concerts while they look for a new vessel.
Published
December 2, 2009
