Related Companies has announced the creation of fifteen new gallery spaces on West 28th Street and West 27th Street in West Chelsea. The initiative speaks directly to Related's efforts to preserve and enhance the cultural character of the West Chelsea neighborhood, and further enrich the gallery corridor to the new Hudson Yards district to the north. The acclaimed Paul Kasmin Gallery, founded in SoHo and now occupying three locations in West Chelsea, will anchor the collection with a 5,000 sf Gallery and an additional exhibition space in the High Line Nine.  

The new spaces will accommodate a range of galleries, both domestic and international.  Just steps from Hudson Yards, one of New York's most enticing new neighborhoods that will soon include Thomas Heatherwick's urban landmark 'Vessel', the galleries will be located in and adjacent to 520 West 28th, the residential condominium building now being completed and an iconic masterpiece designed by the late Pritzker Prize recipient Dame Zaha Hadid.  Gallery spaces in Zaha Hadid's 520 West 28th, ranging from 1,000sf to 5,400sf, will be ready in the Spring of 2017 while the new adjacent stand-alone gallery buildings, ranging from 1,200sf to 5,000sf, as well as the  'High Line Nine' building, are anticipated to be ready in late 2017. Related previously created a collection of gallery spaces at The Tate, a luxury rental building the company developed on West 23rd Street and West 24th Streets.

This  new collection of galleries will bring added vibrancy to the area surrounding 520 West 28th, and will extrapolate the cultural destination in one of Manhattan's most desirable neighborhoods, while putting millions of new potential art buyers within blocks of these galleries once Hudson Yards is complete.

The 'High Line Nine' galleria, a subset of this new gallery collection, was inspired by European gallerias but takes the concept to a new level. It is a collection of nine full service and highly amenitized boutique exhibition spaces, ranging from 650sf to 1800sf, located along a central throughway directly under the High Line.  The nine gallerists will access gallery space hassle free, economically, with onsite amenities and built in traffic and vibrancy.  Art patrons and visitors to West Chelsea will have a new must-see destination and unique gallery experience.

The 'High Line Nine' will be delivered fully built out and offer an unparalleled package of services that make these galleries a turn-key offering for domestic and international gallerists.  Centralized restrooms are provided and there is even a wine bar/café and catering kitchen to service all of the many events.  Services and amenities also include concierge, destination marketing and events, cleaning, rubbish removal, and security services.  Gallerists will have access to cameras covering their galleries and the common areas from their personal devices so they can keep an eye on things no matter where they are.  Even HVAC maintenance and utilities are covered.  The entire process of acquiring and managing the space is seamless and simple.  This is an ideal situation for international or domestic gallerists who want a street level location in West Chelsea with built in vibrancy and traffic but don't want the hassle and cost of leasing and maintaining conventional gallery space.

All of the spaces in the 'High Line Nine' have skylights over art walls ranging from 13' to 22' high and ability to add private offices and/or storage.  It is also anticipated that there will be a wine bar/café within the High Line Nine building, complete with outdoor café, to add to the vibrancy of the destination.  The High Line elevated park has an entry point directly adjacent to the North entrance on West 28th Street, allowing easy access to the 6,000,000 annual visitors to the elevated park.  It is anticipated that this will be a must stop for gallery visitors to West Chelsea starting in 2018. Visitors will be able to walk along the High Line, descend to street level on West 28th Street, visit new galleries on West 28th Street, enter the High Line Nine, stop at the café for a bite or glass of wine, visit the nine galleries under the High Line and exit on West 27th Street and explore Paul Kasmin's latest magnificent gallery next door and others.

Paul Kasmin, founder of Paul Kasmin Gallery said, "West Chelsea and Manhattan's west side have long defined the future of fine arts in New York. I am thrilled to be a part of this exciting project and to bring two new gallery locations to the area. The creation of the High Line and the evolution of Hudson Yards have made this one of the most dynamic parts of the city. This collection of new galleries in this location is an ideal fit for us."

Greg Gushee, Related Executive Vice President who is spearheading the project said, "This project was inspired by Zaha Hadid's sculptural building at 520 West 28th Street, which is one of the finest residential buildings in the City and a monumental piece of art.  We saw the unique opportunity to create a vibrant, diverse gallery offering to expand and further enhance the West Chelsea art district. Not only creating world class gallery spaces, but also a completely new-to-market concept—a collection of highly amenitized, full service exhibition spaces that allow domestic and international galleries to showcase their collections while we take care of all of the mundane details.  We also believe the new galleries will be a great amenity for the residents of 520 West 28th, many of whom are art collectors already."

Two of the new buildings are being designed by studioMDA founder Markus Dochantschi. StudioMDA specializes in gallery design and has completed galleries for Lisson, Paul Kasmin, 303/Marianne Boesky, David Nolan, Joe Nahmad, Richard Taittinger, Dirimart, Carpenter's Workshop, and with galleries under construction for Anton Kern and Stefania Bortolami.

The spaces are currently pre-leasing, offering the gallerists the opportunity to customize their respective spaces during construction. Leasing is being handled exclusively by Earl Bateman & Russell Putterman of Focus Real Estate Group, Keller Williams New York City. For more information on Zaha Hadid's 520 West 28th please visit http://www.520w28.com and for more information on the gallery spaces please visit http://thenewwestchelsea.com/.