National Sawdust

The story

The building spent decades rotting in silence after a sawdust factory closed mid-century, its massive timbers given over to dry rot and stillness. Composer Paola Prestini and attorney Kevin Dolan founded National Sawdust here in 2015, a nonprofit that kept the original tenant's name and transformed the abandoned Williamsburg shell into a stage. Philip Glass, Yo-Yo Ma, Pussy Riot, and Tanya Tagaq have all performed here. The mission is specific: give composers and musicians across genres resources they wouldn't otherwise have.