A 120-year-old Glass Factory Becomes Cultural Center and Performing Venue
Located in the Maspeth neighborhood of Queens, NY, and hailing from the turn of the century, a 50,000-square foot structure began as the Gleason-Tiebout glass factory, and later became the Manhattan Door factory, where in 1956, the Knock-Down door frame was invented. The building’s current name stems from Samuel Sklar’s revolutionary doorframe design that could be shipped in pieces — or “knocked down” — and installed into existing walls, which greatly advanced the efficiency of construction.
Still owned by the Sklar family, the Knockdown Center site recently underwent a renovation that combines equal parts of preservationism and 21st century, to produce and host a diverse blend of cultural events, concerts, festivals, raves and exhibitions that respond to its unique architecture and dimensions.
Inside the Knockdown Center
The Knockdown Center features numerous smaller intimate spaces handling a variety of events, meetings and gallery shows, yet the pride is the 3,200-capacity Main Space. Originally the door factory’s main manufacturing area, it’s now transformed into a 20,000-square-foot concert and event space. And now, Knockdown Center has sound as modern as its brick walls are vintage, thanks to a recently integrated L-Acoustics concert sound system designed and installed by the Boulevard Carroll Entertainment Group.
“We were long overdue to get something more substantial,” says Knockdown Center marketing manager Daniel Martin-McCormick of the new L-Acoustics rig. “Our very busy calendar covers a wide array of different genres, including a lot of electronic music that really needs powerful sound, as well as world-class pop and metal performers who also need a different type of impact.”
In addition to its highly varied show lineup, Knockdown Center also has to accommodate a wide range of event scales — “sometimes it’s 3,200 people, sometimes it’s 1,800, or even under 1,000,” Martin-McCormick says. “So, the new rig had to be something that would cover that full range. It couldn’t under-power a larger show or over-power a smaller one.”
The System
This is exactly what the Center’s new L-Acoustics system accomplishes. The main system includes 14 K2 divided into a left-right array with two A15 per side as outfills. In addition, seven K3 per side as well as two A15 per side are arrayed as delay speakers further down the length of the main hall. These, along with four A15 fills and four Kara II front-fills, become the main P.A. system when only a smaller portion of the room is used for an event. Only the system’s KS21 subs and Kara II front-fills need to be moved for this reconfiguration; the rest of the retuning is done via presets in the LA Network Manager software and P1 processor. A combination of LA12X and LA4X amplifiers power the entire system, including an assortment of X12 speakers used as wedge monitors on stage.
Challenges
“This is a challenging venue in that there are a lot of possibilities for reflections, including the brick walls, the floor, lots of wooden and iron beams, and more,” explains Daryl Moore, Boulevard Carroll Entertainment Group’s head of audio. “There are also a lot of empty spaces in the rafters where sound can get lost. Combining that with their need to adjust for different-sized events and shows was pretty complex. Fortunately, the L-Acoustics systems were more than enough to meet all those needs.”
Anthony Fischetta, CFO at Boulevard Carroll Entertainment Group, says the L-Acoustics system makes sense as a business proposition for Knockdown Center, as venues must be as flexible as possible to accommodate a wide range and size of events. “It’s become much more competitive, and they want to book as many different types of events as possible, so the sound system has to be able to deal with everything,” he says. “The way we have the system designed and deployed, it can handle everything from big music concerts to more intimate art events, and every event gets the sound it needs.” And, he adds, the P1’s deft processing helps ensure that the sound stays on the audience and away from reflective surfaces, assuring the quality of the coverage.
At FOH…
The venue is using some existing DiGiCo S31 consoles for now, which easily handle 90% of the venue’s requirements. If more input horsepower is required, Boulevard Carroll simply brings in desks (DiGiCo SD10, Avid S6L, etc.) for various larger shows and festivals, like the Knockdown Center’s seasonal Outline (indie-pop/experimental) and yearly Wire (techno) festivals.
Off to a Great Start
The maiden voyage for the Center’s L-Acoustics system took place on July 29, when the venue hosted OUTLIER with Bonobo doing a DJ set, along with performances by Jacques Greene, Romare, O’Flynn, and The Juan MacLean. “Knockdown Center’s first shows with the new rig have covered a wide range of styles, and the sound has more than kept up with them all,” says Moore. “The bands and artists have absolutely loved the sound.”
Knockdown’s Martin-McCormick agrees. “K2 offers exceptional, crystal-clear, exquisite sound,” he says. “I think that with our variety of programming and genres, plus the variety of the event sizes being both a challenge and an asset, our new P.A. can accommodate everything that we’ve got going on here. It lets us give our artists and audiences the best possible experience.”
For more details on Knockdown Center, visit www.knockdown.center. Boulevard Carroll can be found online at www.boulevardcarroll.com.
