(photo: Cassidy Dawn Graves)
Empty Spaces takes a closer look at the buildings that used to house well-loved establishments, shuttered due to inevitable rent hikes or an unfortunate turn of events. When one establishment leaves a building, it is expected that another will take its place. Some, however, remain unoccupied for months or even years. We check in on these Empty Spaces to find out what’s up.
Address: 940 Flushing Avenue, Bushwick
Who Was There: Graffiti-coated dive bar Wreck Room occupied 940 Flushing for an impressive nine years. A regular haunt of techno fans and drag queens alike, Wreck Room gained notoriety for their cheap drinks, vibes that often united a wide range of nightlife subcultures and, last and perhaps least, bathrooms—universally known for being some of the grimiest around. Deep-fried risotto ball gurus Arancini Bros shared their kitchen and had a small storefront directly next door. They have since relocated to MCU Park, home of the Brooklyn Cyclones. As for Wreck Room’s inhabitants, they’ve presumably scatted to the remaining dives around such as Gotham City Lounge, where you can get an elusive and stomach-searing $3 beer and whiskey shot combo. But nothing will be quite like those bathrooms. Perhaps that’s for the best, though.
Empty Since: June 2014.
What’s Happening?: No listings could be found for the address, and the grate is still painted with a mural displaying Wreck Room’s now-defunct hours. However, it’s not being ignored. Bushwick resident Ruben Pena, whose family owns the building, told us over Facebook that not much has happened with 940 Flushing lately due to an issue with the liquor license and other work that still needs to be done. Ideally, he said, he’d “like to resurrect the old Trash Bar in that location,” a Williamsburg spot that closed down this past June, but it’s currently just a dream of his. If that doesn’t happen he still intends to keep it a bar, hoping to open it up sometime in the near future. “I’m definitely not selling it at all,” he said. “Patience is the key.”