HELL’S KITCHEN — A "WeWork for nonprofits" that hosts book signings, film screenings, musical performances and other cultural events is planned for a space on West 37th Street.
Nonprofit organization The People’s Forum plans to open a community center at 320 W. 37th St., between Eighth and Ninth avenues, according to Karen Ranucci, who’s on the organization’s board of directors.
The center will have a coffee shop on the ground floor that serves sandwiches, wraps, snacks and salads, plus tables for co-working and conference rooms for meetings and teleconferencing, Ranucci told Community Board 4’s Business Licenses and Permits committee on Tuesday.
“It’s kind of like a WeWork for nonprofits,” she told the board, referring to the well-known co-working company.
In the evenings, “once all the hard work is done,” the center will host events like book signings, lectures and film screenings and have a cash bar for attendees as part of its effort to “build community,” Ranucci said.
Tickets would be inexpensive, as the venue hopes to attract “regular people” looking to attend events, she noted.
The center may also offer classes on video and audio production and English as a Second Language, depending on what local community groups feel is needed in the neighborhood, an application filed with CB4 shows.
Ranucci didn’t immediately return a request for comment about an estimated opening date for the space.
