The Gymnasium is a 2500 square foot room measuring 50 feet long, 50 feet wide, and 13.5 feet high. The space also comes with an adjacent 72 square foot ramp that makes for a cool side room.
Located beneath a church, this gym was abandoned in the 1970s after substantial water damage. From October 2018 through April 2019, the space was restored and is now available for video shoots, photo shoots, and events.
The look of the Gymnasium is raw and industrial, including a retro paint job with a beautifully aged texture, a wall of brick, old basketball hoops, and a tiled tin ceiling. The floor is the original concrete, currently not finished, with small pocks and unevenness throughout.
Windows, Light, and Climate
The space lets in very little daylight. Even at high noon on a bright day, there is almost total darkness in the gym. This allows photo and video work to have total control over the lighting.
The gym is equipped with a 5 ton central heating and cooling system, newly installed in 2020, to keep you chill all summer and cozy all winter, and to provide air circulation.
The two center columns of the Gym are equipped with eight 3000 lumen bright white LED light bulbs for maximum visibility.
The side columns of the Gym are equipped with 7 Phillips Hue bulbs, which can be modified to any color or warm or cool white light, along with a range of brightness levels. The Gymnasium is provided at our default lighting in the photos, and for an additional fee, you may rent a tablet which controls the bulb settings. The 7 Phillips Hue bulbs are not bright enough to fill up the entire room with bright saturated colored light, but it's great ambient lighting for live events, or to compliment the lighting in your photo or video shoot. The rentable tablet also controls the color of the lamp in the Ramp side room. You're also welcome to rent our additional lighting gear to provide the quality of light that you need.
Electricity
There are six electricity outlets in the gym, some with one socket, and some with as many as four sockets. One of these six outlets is a 220 volt outlet while the other five outlets support 110 volts. The circuits range from 20 amps to 30 amps.
WIFI
Gymnopedie is equipped with a powerful WIFI network.
Projector and movie screen
All renters are able to use our collapsable movie screen and projector to stage their own film viewings. Our movie screen is approximately 22 feet by 12.5 feet. Our projector is a Panasonic VZ-580. Use of this equipment costs an additional fee.
Other Amenities
Regarding audio gear, renters of the Gymnasium have access to Bluetooth speakers of various sizes, as well as amplifiers.
Gymnopedie has a number of tables of various sizes available to renters, including one wooden table that lives in the Gym.
Renters have access to a restroom with sinks.
Capacity
The max capacity of each production and event is determined on a case by case basis. The more mellow daytime energy your booking has, the higher capacity we will give you. The more your booking has high energy late night quality, the smaller capacity we give you. For example, if you’re looking to host a film screening at 2pm on a Tuesday, we’ll give you a 150 person capacity. If you’re looking to host a birthday party on a Friday eve til 3am, we might place the maximum at 75 people.
We are located underneath an active church, and this level of caution allows us to remain in business year after year.
Chairs and tables
The Gymnasium has a maximum of 50 chairs and 7 tables. Please notify in advance so that the correct number of chairs and tables can be set in place. If you request more than 10 chairs and more than 2 tables, a $75 fee is required. If the renter would like to bring additional seats beyond 50, there is room for them.
Safe storage for renters
Renters are able to safely store their equipment in The Gymnasium overnight.
Hours
Renters are able to be in the space 24 hours a day, with the exception of Sundays, when the space is closed from 7am to 3:30pm.
No wheelchair access
We regret that at this time, our space does not offer wheelchair access. We’ve spent the last year restoring this basement from the 1800s, but we are not yet at the point where we can afford to build ramps or elevators. With the help of your rentals, our budget will get there. Thank you for your patience.
Watch the video tour of our Gymnasium and Locker Room
Noise conflicts on the property
There are sometimes food pantry activities upstairs in the church on non-Sundays. Often, film shoots and interview shoots in our venue need complete silence. Please request this in advance. At most days and times, I can arrange this for you via a conversation with the church.
Restrictions
Gymnopedie is located in the basement of a church. We are grateful to our hosts, and we aim to keep them happy and comfortable with all our rentals. We are picky when it comes to booking events at our space, and say no to the majority of the requests we get, which are for parties and concerts. That said, we do love the events we host here that are right for our church basement. We favor small gatherings with a mellow daytime energy. A screening of your new short film could work great here. A dinner party for a small group of friends could be a great fit. We do not host most pop-up shops. We prohibit the smoking of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and marijuana inside the property. The drinking of alcohol in our space is allowed, but the sale of alcohol in our venue is illegal and prohibited.
Rental prices
Baseline rate
$110 per hour
Monday - Thursday post-6pm
$120 per hour
Weekends (Friday 6pm through end of Sunday)
$140 per hour
2 hour minimum
Capacity fees
20 to 40 people in the Gymnasium: $5 extra per hour
40 to 60 people in the Gymnasium: $10 extra per hour
60 to 80 people in the Gymnasium: $15 extra per hour