L10 Arts and Cultural Center

The L10 Arts and Cultural Center in Downtown Brooklyn is a new civic landmark uniting four of the borough’s leading cultural institutions—Brooklyn Academy of Music, Brooklyn Public Library, Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts, and 651 ARTS—under one roof. Conceived as both a physical and social connector, L10 transforms three floors at the base of a mixed-use building into a vibrant public realm dedicated to creativity, learning, and community exchange. Led by Andrea Steele Architecture, a women-founded and -led practice, the project embodies “Built by Women” in every phase—from vision to realization. Principal Andrea Steele and project manager Dichen Ding guided the design through years of collaboration with a women-led client team from the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs and NYC Economic Development Corporation. The construction team also included women in key leadership roles, from project management to site supervision, ensuring quality throughout this complex build. Equally integral were the women leaders from tenant institutions and consulting teams, whose expertise and community insight—from cultural programming to technical innovation—strengthened the project’s performance and resilience, allowing L10 to continue to serve the generations to come. The result is a project shaped by women leadership, partnership, and empathy—qualities reflected in its design. The architecture emphasizes visibility, access, and shared resources, weaving together spaces for performance, exhibition, reading, and gathering. Through the stepped plaza, transparent façades, curvilinear forms, and curated procession and adjacency, the design blurs boundaries between institutions and between art and everyday life. L10 celebrates both artistic and civic inclusivity, creating a platform that amplifies underrepresented creative voices. It redefines how culture, community, and equity intersect in the city—and stands as a testament to how women’s collaboration across design, governance, and construction can transform the built environment into a space for collective possibility and empowerment.