My daughter's wedding was held in June 2013 at The Green Building. It's easy to understand why people fall in love with this beautiful space; it can be customized as your taste and budget allow and is a warm, inviting and "very Brooklyn" space. We rented the light curtain for the ceremony and the newly renovated outdoor area with the canopy - all really beautiful and all helped to set the vibe and ambience we wanted. The space alone warrants a rating of '5' and Quin Johnson a '6'. But if you haven't booked a venue yet, and have an open mind about reading negatives as well as positives, there are two major negatives that truly surprised and disappointed me, especially as the mother of the bride. First, the air conditioning in this building is totally unsatisfactory. If you want your guests comfortable in the summer, rent a different place. The owner, a most unlikable and difficult man, will show you specs that 'prove' that the 15-ton unit meets building requirements for a space that size. Whether or not that's true isn't the issue. When someone advertises (and contractually commits to) "air conditioned", the expectation is that guests will stay cool in the summer regardless of the temperature or humidity. His comments the day after the wedding are untrue ("no building stays cool in this heat") and a reflection that money will not be invested in the space until backs are against the wall ("we'll be addressing the A/C later this week"). Why wasn't this communicated up front? I have two possible answers. First, it would have cost money. And, second, perhaps an attitude that the space is so fabulous that A/C isn't required to satisfy customers who love Brooklyn. If the A/C doesn't work properly, the claim should be removed from advertising and removed from contracts, and potential renters can make their own decisions about whether or not this is important to them. Second, regardless of the contractual language promising bathrooms will be in working order, when we arrived on the day of the wedding only 3 of the 4 bathroom stalls were working. The explanation? "We called a 24-hour plumber and they can't come until tomorrow." I wonder if the bathroom would have been fixed if the response had been "I'll pay you double since I have a contractual commitment that 150 people need 4 rest rooms to use instead of 3"? His attitude the day after the wedding ("I'm sorry you were disappointed") is a reflection of his total disregard for anything or anyone who will cause that organization to spend money. Our supposed "disappointments" were based on contractual commitments. I hate to give this space a rating of 'meh' because I would have loved to give it a '5'. But reality is reality. Buyer beware. read more

Been living in Brooklyn 10 years. Frequent Yelp user, time to start reviewing. Here's the bottom line of my review of the Green Building: DON'T BOOK THIS SPACE DURING THE SUMMER. Period. Had event there recently, and for whatever reason, their air conditioning, if it works at all, is useless. The gate was closed all day (a reason - or excuse - they've given in the past) so the AC was not let out by that. I asked multiple times: please max out the AC. Down as low as possible, crank it up. Yes, they said, yes, it is. Still, they needed to bring out huge fans, which ruins the feel of an event, and it seemed as if there was no AC at all. How can they ask for $6K and up to rent the space in summer without having adequate AC? I just don't understand. It wasn't exceedingly hot out - 85 degrees. Hot, yes, but not 95 degrees. Why wouldn't they invest in an AC unit powerful enough to keep it comfortable when it's warm out? I had read other reviews complaining about this, but I thought, ok, my event is at a time of year it shouldn't be that hot. I'll take the chance. Don't. Yes, the space is nice, that's why I chose it for our event. I have other qualms (had to ask multiple times for some things to get done) but generally the people were good. This is not a revenge review, I just think people need to be aware. If the heating is good, it is probably wonderful in the autumn or other times of year. Just avoid it during the summer months. read more

We had our ceremony at 501 Union and our reception at the Green Building across the street, both owned by the same amazing company. Both venues are gorgeous! The staff at both are sooo friendly and helpful throughout the whole process. They walked us through all the rentals, features of the space, decorating ideas, etc. many times over multiple visits. They were also extremely responsive to our many questions along the way! The staff the day of the event was attentive and friendly, from helping with set up, assisting the other arriving vendors to helping our guests get cars at the end of the night....they were just perfect! We got sooo many compliments on the beautiful spaces (and we're architects so that was important to us!) We couldn't imagine our wedding being anywhere else! Thanks again Green Building team! Laura and Kevin August 2013 read more

The only good thing I could say about this place is that it's pretty. I held my wedding here and what a big mistake! They were disorganized, unprofessional, overpriced, and embarrassed me at my own wedding. Towards the end of the wedding the staff actually followed guests around asking them to leave - an hour before we were contracted for! I'm glad not all my guests witnessed this, but two years later - it's still a topic of conversation. read more

I had my wedding at the Green Building back in September. I'm probably somewhere between 3 and 4 stars for them. The space itself is fabulous. Beautiful and spacious. I feel the customer service leaves a bit to be desired. You pay a lot of money and don't really get much (other than the space) for it. Everyone is assigned a coordinator when you reserve the space. Our initial coordinator left sometime between when we signed up and when we got married. We were never informed. I stopped by the building to show my mom at one point before the wedding (after having emailed my original coordinator) and was stopped by the person who was there. Glad I did stop by, otherwise who knows when I would have found out that I had a new coordinator. Anyway, Quin, who was our final coordinator did a fine job. Seemed wholly uninterested when we did our walk through. And after knowing our additional needs at least three weeks before the event decided to give my husband our invoice about 30 minutes before we got married. Classy. And then while we were on our honeymoon she emailed to find out where the payment was. Again, classy. While I have no regrets because my wonderful caterer made sure our day went off without a hitch, I would really not recommend Green Building due to its customer service (or lack thereof). read more

AMAZING venue. The staff is wonderful, Brooke and Megan made our day go so smoothly. As a bride, was completely stress-free and we got so many rave reviews from friends and family about the venue. The space is gorgeous, warm lighting and so unique. When we were looking at different venues, The Green Building just stood out. So much character and charm, and a really wonderful vibe. They were also super flexible with vendors; we basically worked with whoever we wanted, and we felt that our wedding reflected our personalities because of that. Unsure what Stephanie h. is complaining about re: hipsters and temperature control. Everyone from The Green Building was super friendly and helpful, and focused on helping us create the most inviting and atmosphere possible. Nobody was too cool to help, and I would highly highly recommend the venue for an event. Ours was a fall wedding, and the temperature was fine. We also visited the venue several times over the summer, and the AC was working perfectly then. Love love love The Green Building. read more

Wedding planning is STRESSFUL! So many details, so much to figure out and so many people to please. Susan at The Green Building has made our prep significantly easier by proactively offering suggestions and ideas while answering our questions really quickly. Fantastic customer service from this group - I can't wait to get married here! :) read more

The Green Building had just the atmosphere my then fiance and I wanted for our wedding and reception of 150 guests. It has an old-world industrial Brooklyn feel with exposed brick and wood beams. The columnless room allows for a flexible floor plan; the high ceiling makes the room voluminous. The details are simple and give a taste of an era gone by with elegant chandeliers and a small retro speakeasy lounge for a cozy private spot. I fell in love with the space. Ours was a summer afternoon wedding and the soft light that filtered through the high windows was a lovely touch. We chose a simple decor but the space could easily support more dressing up. Everyone at The Green Building was helpful, especially Brooke who was excellent at communicating and offering practical options to consider. We were in very good hands. It was a wonderful event- everyone loved The Green Building. I highly recommend this space for weddings or other events. read more

My husband and I got married at The Green Building in May 2013, and had a great experience not only on the day of the wedding itself, but in the months of planning leading up to it. The staff is extremely helpful and responsive, and were especially great at helping us sort out tons of little details in the weeks prior to the wedding--Megan, our site coordinator, and Kevin, the bar manager, always got back to us and our inquiries promptly via email or phone. The Green Building itself is beautiful, and the open layout makes it easy to arrange the ceremony and reception spaces in creative ways; Megan gave us many helpful suggestions in arranging our floor plan. We had ample space for our 75 guests to be seated at long banquet tables, as well as to dance! One of the most wonderful and memorable things about our wedding was the chalkboard art, created by Anne-Marie, one of the staff members at The Green Building. We highly recommend her services! She is a talented chalkboard artist and created amazing chalk art for our welcome sign, seating arrangement, and drinks/dessert list. We, and our guests, loved her work; they really added a lot to the space. We wish we could have made use of The Green Building's lovely outdoor space for our cocktail hour, but unfortunately, inclement weather prevented us from doing so. In sum, we highly recommend The Green Building and its wonderful staff for an awesome wedding experience. read more

Came for yelp helps kick: throwback thursday and this place is good amount of space for people to stand. I think it would be small to put in tables and even if they put in tables there isn't much space to walk around. Bathrooms were unisex so farly clean. They had theater style seats in the bathroom. Not sure if that's just display. Building didn't seem green to me probably because it was dark when I came here. You can put up a projection since they have high ceilings. There was 2 bars on each end so that was nice. read more

Great space. Loved the high ceilings and the art gallery. Thanks for donating the space last night for the Yolanda fundraiser!

My husband and I got married at the Green Building in August of 2010 and had an amazing experience. Akiva was very helpful, we had ample time to set up beforehand and the raw nature of the space gave us so much creative freedom--we opened the gate and hired an ice cream truck to swing by for desert, we strung long branches from the ceiling for the ceremony, we created a photo booth in the front hall, etc. This space is gorgeous and absolutely worth every penny. read more

We held our wedding at the green building and it turned out fantastic. The main space is 2 stories and open to the rafters with exposed structural elements. I'm guessing it was built in the late 19th or early 20th century, so it has a nice industrial charm. There is also a small fully decorated lounge reminiscent of a speakeasy, which is great for pre-event preparations and photos. The booking manager and house manager were professional, accessible and easy to deal with, and made the business side of the transaction pain-free. Also you get the space for 24 hours which gives you ample time to set up the space to your liking and enjoy it to the fullest. Compared to other venues of a similar nature the green building was far and away the best value. This makes it ideal for someone who wants to be creative and design her own event. The house can provide bar packages or you can organize it yourself. The flexibility to manage your own event providers is a nice plus, but they do have preferred vendors who we used and we would also recommend to keep it simple. read more

Great space for a wedding. Loved the fresh air in the city feel with the huge bay doors open so the party could spill out onto the sidewalk.

A beautiful venue with a remarkable staff. I hosted my wedding for 105 people here in October. Every detail was perfect

I came here for the first time to attend a wedding. The building is obvious, it the only green building on the block. The inside of the building is spacious, for the wedding they had two tables for food, a bar area, dance area, a few tables for people to sit and a table for party favors. We had a lot of space to dance since it was a small wedding. All the staff was professional and nice. The bathroom was clean and near the bathroom they had a little theater place that held big theater seats. It was a nice place for a wedding. read more

We just got married here two weeks ago and had a great experience. We did not use their day of coordinator, but there was always a staff member present to help us with any questions. The space is beautiful, but I do not recommend using the screen for the slide show, because it ended up being an eyesore once the slide show was over. This is a perfect place for those who want to customize or personalize their wedding since you need to hire your own vendors. We hired the bar package through the Green Building which saved us a lot of stress and was a bit cheaper than doing it through the caterer, and they were great and friendly. Getting in touch with them is a little difficult at times, but if you are patient, they will get back to you... like within 4-7 days. The only thing is it would be better if there was another room for the bridal party to get changed in. We used the speakeasy to get changed, but we also ended up leaving all our stuff back there and used the room as storage..but it would've been nice to leave that room open for guests to browse and hang out in. All in all, I think it's a lovely venue in Brooklyn and perfect for creative couples (or couples who can hire a creative planner). read more

We got married last weekend and we had our reception at the Green Building. Not only was the reception a fantastic affair but the Green Building was amazing. We wanted an urban chic wedding with a vintage flare. The Green Building staff helped us to make our vision come true and our friends and family were more than impressed with the space. I highly recommend the Green Building and Quin, Meghan and Brooke were more than helpful to answer questions, give recommendations and provide solutions to any challenges. If you are looking for a great space at a reasonable price consider this venue. We did and we couldn't be happier. read more

Such a gorgeous space. The wallpaper in the bar area kind of reminded me a Miami speakers but had a great time.

The Green Building was a beautiful venue for our wedding. The facility itself is in great shape, all of the furniture looked exactly how it was advertised and there was enough space in the speakeasy room and the entry room for my wife and I to both get ready there. The staff made the planning process incredibly easy and enjoyable. Megan was our primary contact and she was very helpful and responsive to all our requests. Our food vendor (a food truck) had never worked at the building before and Megan did a separate walk-through with our contact there to make sure everything went smoothly. The staff at the building on the day of was very helpful and worked well with our day-of coordinator and her staff. We had 100 guests and got many compliments about how beautiful the space was. We couldn't have been happier with how everything went! read more

Got married in The Green Building recently. Wow. The space itself is very beautiful. It has a trendy industrial, exposed brick look. There is a variety of spaces in the building to get other looks for photos and such. What sets it apart is the staff. They were flexible, helpful, enthusiastic, tireless and professional. Through and through. We hired Brooke as a day-off coordinator and she went well above and beyond. She guided us through from day one, was full of creative suggestions and took huge responsibility to make the day a success for our guests and a pleasure for us. Meghan also really stood out. Thanks! Sidenote: the temperature control was immaculate. read more

I emailed them asking a few price points just to get an idea if this was in my budget wow the email I got back was amazing prices suggestions.it was great I didn't have to sit thu a meeting or tour In order to find out this was jp my budget they also gave mean aviable candler which was super helpful.no sense going to a place u can't afford only to find out they don't have ur date open.anyway I can't wait to book this cool different easy venue read more

Outstandingly unique .The Staff made this an experience of a lifetime! Went for my cousins wedding .the decor .easy parking and friendly neighborhood make this place a jewel! read more

We fell in love with The Green Building as soon as we walked through the door. It was unique, distinct, and impressive, without being overly showy or having too much of a "wedding venue" feel. We booked it right away - almost two full years in advance because the good dates go fast! We had a Sunday wedding which saved us a little money, but the rental fee is still a bit hefty. Worth every penny in our book. Everyone loved this venue. We were able to put our personal touch on the space and loved that. We had outdoor space, indoor space, and included table/chair/bar rentals. Almost everything else we provided ourselves. We would do it again in a heartbeat - even the neighborhood is amazing (though I do recommend hiring a valet company due to somewhat difficult parking options). The team works with you to ensure that every i is dotted and t is crossed with check ins along the way and a final details meeting where you review EVERYTHING together. The whole process was a breeze with these guys. Check them out! Highly recommended. read more

Steer clear if you are going there for a summer wedding. No air conditioning and the hipsters running the place were the most rude people I have met.. your running an event planning business and you should stress the importance of customer service. I asked if the air conditioner was broken and she replied when the sun comes down it gets cooler in here.. of course she said it with an attitude. I asked for water for the table and she told me to go to the bar and get ot myself.. I'm sorry if I assumed since you were clearing the table you would be able to get us some water when there were elderly people and children there stuffed like sardines in a warehouse when its 90 degrees outside. I would have given the place a better review being the decor was nice .. I was also considering planning an event there .. but the workers there made the choice for me. read more

I am an Event Staffer who provides Servers, Bartenders, Chefs, and Bands. Doing this for a living I have worked in every event space you could think of in Manhattan and Brooklyn. I get to see everything from behind the scenes and I can honestly say that anyone who books a party here will be choosing one of the most excellent teams at an event space. I've seen horror stories with spaces that just don't care once you sign the contract and give them the check-The Green Building and 501 team really cares about the clients that book an event there and they are really amazing at guiding anyone through what they need to do to make their event excellent. I've worked big budget weddings here as well as weddings with a limited budget and everyone always has the best time and the space looks amazing! I am always so over the moon when we are asked to provide staff for clients there because I know that we will be working with top notch people and a working functioning event space that is beautiful and fun for guests and staff alike! D'Anne Park Superlative Staff Events read more

We had our wedding here in November, and it was wonderful. Akiva was a pleasure to work with. They saved us a bundle on rentals by letting us have everything delivered Friday and picked up Monday (no weekend rates that way) and were in general lovely and responsive. And the space is stunning. We loved it, and so did our family and friends. read more

The A/C is loud and insufficient. You will notice every bad review of this location mentions this major fault of this venue. This is NOT an exceptable venue for a late spring, summer, or early fall wedding. The location itself is beautiful. read more

The Green Building made our wedding so special. We worked with Megan and Molly, and both couldn't have been more helpful about offering ideas, but even better, about listening to our vision for the wedding and doing everything possible to make it happen. We ran almost every decision by them, and they were our saving grace in the planning process. Our hitching went off without a hitch, and it looked and felt exactly as we had dreamed. Check out their website for all the in-house furniture and lighting options, because they are stunning.I wish I could have every event in this space!!! My highest recommendation. read more

My fiance and I had scheduled an appointment with the event coordinator Melanie but she pushed the appt by half an hour the morning of and then didn't show up. Had the accountant show us the place who was helpful but clearly not in a position to answer our detailed qs. One of the worst services up front, I cant imagine how the day would actually go. read more

What a great, open and warm atmosphere for any event! I attended "The Boardwalk Empire" Season Finale Screening and found the place absolutely charming. A friendly, knowledgable and costumed staff really made the event top notch. I especially enjoyed the "speakeasy back room bar" with leather chairs and couches. A nice touch when you want somewhere more intimate to go during the evenings festivities. read more

The Green Building is gorgeous and big just like the pictures. The employees are professional and responsive. You can have a food truck, sit down dinner or buffet. They have an awesome sound system and did I mention its gorgeous! But beware!!!! It is found on many sites as an affordable venue for weddings and compared to other similar venues in NYC it is.... for about 6,400 for the raw space on Saturdays. Even that did not sound to bad, but you have to add tables, chairs, linens, dinneware, flatware, bar ware and all the other "wares" associated with a wedding and food service. Plus, these items can only be rented from thier exclusive overpriced (base table set up $25pp) sole vendor. One must also add service staff, a planner, bar tab and catering. In the end although I am daddy's little girl and he would of forked out what ever I asked him too I cant justiy spending 190+ per person for a wedding... and this does not include centerpieces, souveniers etc. Could it be possible to do this venue on a budget? Sure, purchase all items I mentioned above (try to sell them after) and have your family cook and serve the food and tend bar. Like I mentioned The Green Building is amazing. I just wanted to write this for all those brides out there who might jump the gun and book this or similar raw spaces without taking into account all the other expenses associated with it. Start your new life on a good note! read more

My fiance and I had scheduled an appointment with the event coordinator Melanie but she pushed the appt by half an hour the morning of and then didn't show up. Had the accountant show us the place who was helpful but clearly not in a position to answer our detailed qs. One of the worst services up front, I cant imagine how the day would actually go. read more

We had our wedding at The Green Building and from start to finish it has hands down the best experience I had with an event space. The staff is very friendly and helpful, I worked with Megan Southerland who was a dream. She was very responsive with all my emails and questions, and made me feel that everything was going to be wonderful, which it was! The Green Building is a gorgeous space, with exposed brick and gold chandeliers. There's also a speak easy room which doubled as a dressing area for all the ladies. One of our main draws to the space, beyond the beauty, is also that you can hire your own caterers. Most of the wedding venues we scouted required us to use their in-house catering service which can sometimes equate to poor food. We were so pleased to be able to decorate and have the wedding that we envisioned with the support of the Green Building. They also have a outdoor space, which is really nice in the summer. Definitely would have another event there, it's an ideal space for a wedding or any celebration. read more

For us, it was love at first sight with The Green Building. In fact, we looked at TGB, knew that we absolutely had to have it for our wedding, booked it, and THEN my husband proposed! Our wedding was in August and it was everything we were hoping for and more. The atmosphere was romantic, whimsical, and very "urban chic" (as we like to describe it). The space looked so beautiful that it makes me smile just thinking about it. TGB staff were efficient and professional and have this whole wedding thing down to a science. We worked primarily with Brooke and then after she went on maternity leave Kara. Both were extremely attentive, responsive, and knowledgeable. They were particularly helpful during our walk through. We went through everything with them and were able to get everything in order before our big day. We left feeling calm and on top of things! We also were pleasantly surprised by the recent renovations, including a brand new and big outside space and floor to ceiling windows that let in lots of gorgeous light. When we booked the space we had no idea that they would be adding these things, so it was an unexpected bonus for us! Price wise, TGB was very reasonable (for NYC venues!). When we first started looking for places to get married we googled "inexpensive wedding venues in Brooklyn," and that's how we found out about TGB. Although the cost can start to add up because it is DIY, it was still much cheaper than similar venues in Brooklyn. I can't imagine having had my wedding anywhere other than TGB. It is simply a breathtakingly beautiful space! Erica and Tim read more

We had my sister's wedding here and leading up to the event, the staff was responsive and helpful. However, when we returned the next day to pick up items left behind the day before (which was pre-arranged and confirmed), we were told that everything was mistakenly thrown out in the trash. I checked everywhere myself and it was gone. The couple's top cake, custom cake topper, bridal bouquet, floral arrangements.... While the staff was apologetic for the error, the owner Akiva argued that it was the caterer's fault and that he had it on videotape. The staff managed to recover some of the items in the dumpster but we are still missing a lot of stuff. So I asked that we hold on making any additional payments until I had a chance to review the tape myself (not even one week following the event, and a fair request given that his team admitted to throwing out our things...all documented in emails. Plus he owed me $ for damages). Instead, he called me on the phone screaming and hysterical that I had to pay him asap and said I was crazy and insulting for not taking his word that the videotape cleared his staff (hmm why would i blindly trust him? I don't know this guy from Adam and he's a bit biased..no?). Before I could get more than a few words in, he told me he would take me to small claims court and that I should be worried because he does this all the time and wins (classy). Then he hung up on me {classier). One star for the unique space. But minus 4 stars for any place run by an unprofessional raving lunatic who is quick to threaten his clients with lawsuits rather than respecting the emotional situation of having ones irreplaceable things tossed out in the trash and trying to sort it out in a fair and calm manner. Book this place at your own risk...and be prepared to lose your belongings and then get dragged to court. Can't think of a better way to follow a beautiful wedding. Thank you Green Building! read more

Had my wedding there 3 years ago in July. Met with the people who run this place three times before booking to make sure I understood what their deal was. The are a husband and wife team that is supposedly working for Chabad.. I made sure to ask the husband at least 5 times if the air conditioning is up to the task of keeping this place cool on a hot July day and every time I asked he insisted the air conditioning is fine. The wedding day comes and it is 7/11 3 years ago which was during a heat wave. The air conditioning was NOT up to the task of cooling the room off so much that three guests got sick. One sick enough to go to an emergency room. My guests all left early. Most of the liquor as well as the food was never touched. The only thing we ran out of was water.When I confronted the manager about this he pretty much gave me a story about how the AC usually works. He lied end of story. He knew this place was not up to the task of holding parties in the heat of the summer.The good things about my wedding? My wife,the guests and the caterer were all great. Our wedding planner was great too. Anything that had nothing to do with Green Building management was wonderful.What is really upsetting is that this place uses the Chabad Organization name to get around their lies.And I guess they also used the fact they are supposedly ortodox to make their lies more believable.Lesson here is the place is nice to look at in a rustic way but do not book anything during the summer and do not let the management of this place have any hand in the party plans at all. read more