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Shea Stadium Launches Kickstarter To Get Legit, Up To Code

Who would want to kill off parties like this? — Photo by Seth Applebaum, via Shea Stadium

Published Mar 22, 2017

Modified Mar 22, 2017

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When the team behind Shea Stadium announced that they would have to temporarily close their doors in order to focus on bringing the venue up to code, they promised fans of the East Williamsburg institution that there would be a forthcoming way for them to help the space open again. And that way has been now been revealed as a Kickstarter to raise the money for renovations, permits, legal fees and other costly factors that involve getting up to code.

In the Kickstarter, which is seeking $50,000, Nora Dabdoub, Luke Chiaruttini and Adam Reich, who all help run the venue, explain that "a variety of governmental & political factors threaten the existence of spaces like Shea," so they're attempting to go legit as a way to ensure the future of the space. According to a chart breaking down where all the money will go, Shea Stadium needs a variety of permits from the DOB, FDNY and Health Department, to pay architects and lawyers, and get fire safety training, among other requirements for a venue that's up to code.

While Shea has been a popular institution for years now, Dabdoub, Chiaruttini and Reich write that the venue's management has always operated at a low overhead in order to help pay artists who perform there. In addition to keeping a space open where young and unknown artists can perform, going legit would allow the venue to have "higher visibility and open up to new types of programming, including free daytime events & workshops," according to Dabdoub, Chiaruttini and Reich.

As far as what you get in return for your money, there's an eclectic group of rewards for you to choose from. A $5 pledge gets you a curated playlist from the Shea team that tells the history of the venue, while a $350 pledge gets you and a friend a night at Citi Field with the whole Shea team to watch the Mets. For the truly big spenders, $1,000 gets you free shows at the venue for life and your face painted on the bathroom wall. And, of course, that's all in addition to the warm feelings you get in having helped a small, strange piece of Brooklyn stay afloat.