Brooklyn's Output Nightclub Might Become Rooftop Wedding Venue

WILLIAMSBURG, BROOKLYN — The space on Wythe Avenue that once housed one of New York City's most popular nightclubs could be turned into a wedding venue, complete with a restaurant, cocktail bar and rooftop ceremony space.

New owners of the 74 Wythe Ave. building— where dance club Output ran until it closed on New Year's Day — told Community Board 1 members that they plan to turn the spot into a nearly 800-person events space.

The 18,000-square-foot building would be outfitted to rent out for anything from bat mitzvahs, to corporate events, to large weddings, owners said.

But owners promised the large parties wouldn't bring the same kind of all-night noise Output became known for with its neighbors and the community board. The club was once named New York's "absolute best"dance club, in part because of its massive sound system that brought international DJs to the Williamsburg block.

"The former tenant was not very popular for sound," a representative for the new owners said at the Thursday meeting. "We have taken out a $1.5-million sound system, we are replacing it, and have full intention to have largely ambient sound...These will be events that you can attend and have a conversation and be heard when you speak."

Output, which had been open since 2013, announced that it would close late last year, citing financial issues and "shifting social trends." The club had become known for a dance-focused music line-up that did away with bottle service or VIP set-ups in the Wythe Avenue space, which sits next to the Wythe Hotel and across from Brooklyn Bowl.

The new events company, listed only as 74 Wythe Tenant LLC., said that what was once the main dance area on the ground floor will now hold a ballroom where up to 200 people can have dinner and a large kitchen where the meals will be cooked.

The space will also be home to a restaurant above the main ballroom area where the public can dine, including a sushi counter and lounge section.

The area that irked neighbors with noise most often, the rooftop, will be set up to hold almost 300 people and be open until 2 a.m., presenters said.

But the rooftop terrace — where owners imagine holding wedding ceremonies that will be followed by receptions downstairs — will include a "superstructure glass" retractable enclosure that will help keep in noise, they added.

"The glass, Apple Store-type of rooftop will make it seasonable...and also addresses some of the concerns our neighbors had with sound," the representative said. "That was to their satisfaction."

The owners also added three new entrances, including one on North 12th Street for deliveries and a direct cocktail-lounge entrance, to prevent Wythe Avenue from becoming congested during their large-scale events.

The events company is run by Zach Weinberg, who was at the meeting along with the representative who presented and the space's director of events. They told community board members they hope to open the space in late February or early March.