Westbeth
Artists
Housing
The Westbeth Artists Housing complex was built by Western Electric and Bell Laboratories at the turn of the twentieth century. In the late 1960s, the property was converted to 384 affordable live/work spaces for artists and their families. Westbeth opened in 1970, and is the largest artist community in the United States, if not the world. Artists of all disciplines—including visual, performance, and literary arts—are able to develop their craft, with their collective voices amplified by the Westbeth Artists Residents Council (aka WARC). WARC, established in 1980, is the non-profit volunteer organization run by residents that oversees the Westbeth Gallery and Community Room, opening the complex to artistic, cultural and healthy-living programming for both residents and our greater community.