The Shed (arts center) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
The Shed

July 2019 view
Established	April 5, 2019 (2019-04-05)
Location	545 W. 30th Street between 10th Avenue and 11th Avenue, New York, NY 10001
Type	Cultural center
Public transit access	New York City Subway:   trains at 34th Street-Hudson Yards New York City Bus: M11 NB at 10th Avenue M12 SB at 11th Avenue, NB at 12th Avenue M34 SBS at 34th Street

The Shed is a cool place in Hudson Yards, New York City, where you can experience all sorts of art. It opened on April 5, 2019. The Shed creates and shows many different types of performances, visual art, and pop culture events.

This cultural center is inside the Bloomberg Building. It's right next to the High Line, which is an elevated park. The Shed is connected to 15 Hudson Yards, a tall skyscraper, but the land it sits on belongs to the city. An independent group called The Shed, which is a nonprofit (meaning it uses its money for its mission, not to make profit for owners), manages the center. Meredith "Max" Hodges is the CEO, and Alex Poots is the Artistic Director.

Building The Shed started in 2015. It was designed by Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Rockwell Group. The Shed has some amazing features, like a roof that can move! This creates a huge space called The McCourt for big shows and art displays. It also has a theater with 500 seats and two floors for art exhibitions. Many people in the media and art world have praised The Shed's design.

History of The Shed

How The Shed Area Was Planned

In 2005, the New York City Council decided to change how a large area of land, about 60 blocks, could be used. Later, in 2009, a plan for a sports stadium didn't happen, so the area where train tracks were located was also changed. This new plan for Hudson Yards included lots of office space, homes, hotels, a public school, shops, and over 20 acres of public parks. A new subway extension was also built to help the area grow.

In 2010, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) rented the space above the train tracks for 99 years. They rented it to two companies, Related Companies and Oxford Properties Group, for $1 billion. These companies then built a huge platform over the tracks. This platform is where the buildings, including The Shed, were constructed.

Getting Money and Land for The Shed

The platform supporting The Shed being built in September 2014

As part of the Hudson Yards plan, the city saved a piece of land for future cultural use. This land is on West 30th Street, next to The High Line. City officials wanted a very flexible space that could host many different types of art. In 2008, the city asked for ideas for this new cultural building.

The city chose Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Rockwell Group to design a flexible building that could hold all kinds of creative arts. The Shed is an eight-story building, smaller than the huge skyscrapers around it. The city still owns the land where The Shed is built and helped pay for the project with grants.

Former Mayor Michael Bloomberg gave $15 million to The Shed in 2012, and then another $60 million five years later. The city also gave $50 million in 2013, which was the largest grant they gave that year. This amount was later increased to $75 million. By March 2019, The Shed had received $529 million in donations to help build it and start its programs.

Building The Shed

The Shed, as a nonprofit organization, was created in 2012 to manage the building's construction and its operations once it opened. The main companies that built The Shed were Sciame and Cimolai.

Construction of The Shed began by placing strong foundations deep into the ground to support a platform over the train tracks. This platform, made of 16 bridges, was finished in late 2014. The actual building started going up in mid-2015. The name of the building was shortened to "The Shed" in 2016. The special moving shell was completed by 2017.

In January 2019, it was announced that The Shed would open on April 5, 2019. The building was officially named the Bloomberg Building because former mayor Bloomberg donated a lot of money for its construction. The Shed also partnered with Altice USA for internet services. A special opening ceremony was held on April 1, 2019, and The Shed opened to the public four days later.

Design of The Shed

Wheels used to retract or to extend the shell

The Shed is a 170,000-square-foot center for visual and performing arts. It's located at the southern edge of the 26-acre Hudson Yards area. The building has 40,000 square feet of open exhibition space without columns, plus 25,000 square feet of "museum-quality" space. There's also a theater that can seat up to 500 people.

One of the most amazing parts is the 16,000-square-foot shell that can expand and contract. It uses technology similar to industrial cranes. This allows the space to change size for different events and audiences. You need a ticket to see the indoor shows and exhibitions.

The main entrance to The Shed is on 30th Street, right under The High Line. There are also other entrances from the Hudson Yards public plaza, close to the subway station. Inside, you'll find two galleries on the first and second floors. On the third floor, there's a flexible space that can be used for performances or art displays.

The moving shell weighs 8 million pounds! It's made of a strong steel frame covered in a special plastic called ETFE. This plastic is very light but works like insulating glass. The shell can open and close in just 5 minutes. When it's pulled back, the outdoor plaza becomes a public space. The shell moves on eight large wheels, each 6 feet wide, powered by six 15-horsepower motors. The Shed is right next to 15 Hudson Yards and The High Line.

Management

In 2014, Alex Poots, who used to direct other big art festivals, became the CEO and Artistic Director of The Shed. He was in charge of the artistic programs and the overall management.

In January 2023, Alex Poots stepped down as CEO. Maryann Jordan took over temporarily. Then, in October 2023, Meredith "Max" Hodges became the new CEO of The Shed.

Events and Shows

Cool Events at The Shed

2017 view of The Shed and 10 and 15 Hudson Yards, with Vessel (under construction) behind it

In late 2016, The Shed started a dance program across the city that focused on social justice topics. It also worked with the MIT Media Lab to help artists create works using virtual reality and artificial intelligence.

The first permanent art piece for The Shed was announced in May 2017. Artist Lawrence Weiner designed the plaza with large letters on the ground that spell out "In front of itself". Before The Shed opened in April 2019, many exciting shows were announced. These included a concert series about African American music, a collaboration between artist Gerhard Richter and music composers Steve Reich and Arvo Pärt, and a performance piece called "Norma Jeane Baker of Troy" starring Ben Whishaw and Renée Fleming. There was also an exhibition by artist Trisha Donnelly.

From May to June 2019, the Icelandic music artist Björk performed a concert series called "Björk's Cornucopia" at The Shed. This show had unique visuals, amazing costumes, a choir, and messages about protecting the environment. The movie 6 Underground also premiered at The Shed in December 2019.

The Shed closed its public programs on March 12, 2020, because of the COVID-19 pandemic in New York City. It reopened its galleries on October 16, 2020, with an exhibition by Howardena Pindell. During the pandemic, special staircases were opened so visitors could keep a safe distance from each other. In early 2021, The Shed announced it would start live performances again. These included shows by Kelsey Lu, the New York Philharmonic, Renée Fleming, and Michelle Wolf in April 2021. In 2023, The Shed premiered the last musical by Stephen Sondheim, called Here We Are. From June to October 2025, The Shed hosted Viola's Room, an immersive theater experience by Punchdrunk featuring Helena Bonham Carter.

Plays and Musicals

Since it opened in 2019, The Shed has hosted many famous plays and musicals. Here are some of them:

See also

• 10 Hudson Yards
• 15 Hudson Yards
• High Line