- In a new book, photographer Joshua Charow documents the rich history of New York’s artist lofts.
- Protected by the Loft law, a generation of artists has managed to preserve their living-working spaces.
- Almost impossible in today’s rental market, these spaces still inspire people around the world.
When he was a teenager, photographer Joshua Charow would sneak through New York City buildings in search of the perfect rooftop photo. A factory in South Williamsburg, Brooklyn exercised his fascination when he discovered the raw and eclectic workspaces of artist lofts.
In his early 20s, Charow returned to the building hoping to live there himself. He soon discovered that it was “ten years too late”: all the lofts had been occupied by tenants living under New York City’s historic Loft Law, a protection for loft tenants enacted in the early 1980s.
In a city where 115 square feet can now cost $1,200 a month and the average rent continues to skyrocket, the romantic notion of a huge, affordable loft seems almost impossible to imagine.
Fascinated by the history of the Loft Law and its impact on New York City’s culture and heritage, Charow mapped every building falling under this protection and set out to document which residents still benefit from the law.
Over two years, he photographed 75 tenants and collected their stories in “Loft Law, The Last of New York City’s Original Artist Lofts,” now available from Damiani Books.
Here’s more about Charow’s Loft Law research and a look at six of the topics he covers in his book.
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