Choosing a wedding venue can seem monumental, especially if you have a specific vision of how you want your day to look. Check out The Foundry in New York if you want a wedding location that blends rich industrial character with luxurious modern amenities.
About The Foundry Wedding Venue
42-38 9th Street
Long Island City, NY 11101
The Foundry was built in the 19th century, where workers manufactured fine varnishes and metals. The building’s original logo is still visible on one side of The Foundry. By the early 1900s, owners utilized it as a steel factory that served the riverfront manufacturers of New York.
By the 1970s, The Foundry was a largely abandoned space until purchased by the Du Val family in 1980. Since then, the building has been meticulously restored and renovated to reflect its rich historical past while morphing into a beautiful event space. The building retains much of its industrial character while seamlessly incorporating modern touches, making it an elegant and unique wedding venue.
Details of the Grounds at the Foundry
The Foundry’s 3,000-square-foot interior is adaptable for many events, including weddings. Meticulously restored to emphasize its unique industrial origins, The Foundry stays true to its nineteenth-century roots while offering couples many different spaces to use for their wedding day. Spaces include:
- A lush outdoor courtyard.
- A rooftop terrace.
- An indoor greenhouse.
- A fully equipped industrial kitchen.
The ceremony can occur in The Foundry, The Courtyard, or The Greenhouse. You can host your cocktail hour in The Foundry, The Greenhouse, The Courtyard, or The Terrace. A beautiful dinner can take place in The Foundry or The Courtyard.
A tent can be used in The Courtyard but is not required. Dancing is not permitted in The Courtyard.
Additionally, there is a dressing room available for use on The Mezzanine. It includes floor-length mirrors, a large makeup counter, and a wardrobe steamer.
Indoor/Outdoor Event Spaces
The Main Space
The Foundry’s main event space includes the ground floor, mezzanine, the courtyard, and a fully equipped kitchen. An indoor seated dinner can hold 125 people, an outdoor courtyard seated dinner can hold 165 people, and cocktails or a floating dinner can hold up to 180 people. This space features concrete floors, large glass windows, brick walls and archways, and wide open spaces.
The Albra Room
With stunning white, green, and blue elements, The Albra Room is an intimate lounge area with gorgeous views of the Manhattan skyline and Queensboro Bridge.
The Billiards Room
With a maximum capacity of 40 guests, the Billiards Room is the venue’s newest space. You can utilize this space as a getting ready or gathering area before the ceremony, a VIP room, or an after-party space for use after the reception (for up to 90 minutes). This room takes its name after the large billiards table in the middle and is a cozy space to hang out with close friends and family.
The Du Val Suite
The Du Val Suite is a privately-owned, loft-style apartment that can be used as a getting-ready space or as overnight accommodations for the couple or their guests. This is an excellent space to take photos as well. This 400-square-foot apartment can hold up to 15 guests. This apartment is flooded with natural light, making it the perfect spot to get amazing photos of the wedding party getting ready for the big day. The Du Val Garden can be added to the rental arrangement for an additional fee and is a beautiful spot for “first look” photos or pictures of the family together before the ceremony.
Outdoor Event Spaces at the Foundry
The Courtyard
The ivy-covered, plant-filled courtyard overlooks the Queensboro Bridge. Furthermore, this space can hold 165 guests for a seated dinner or 180 for a cocktail hour.
The Greenhouse
The Greenhouse features weathered brick walls, a skylight ceiling, and walls covered in green ivy. This space can hold up to 120 guests for the ceremony, cocktail hour, or dancing or 70 guests for a seated dinner.
The Terrace
The Terrace is an adaptable space for more intimate events and features all-white walls, alcove-shaped mirrors, and a steel wheel. It can hold up to 40 guests for a seated dinner and 70 for cocktail hour.
Photography Opportunities at The Foundry Wedding Venue
The Foundry wedding venue has so many stunning opportunities for your wedding photography. Some of my favorite locations include:
- The balcony overlooking the city skyline
- The second-level balcony, overlooking the main event space
- Large windows that allow for natural light
- The ivy-covered brick wall
- The stairwell against the brick wall
- The terrace
- The Greenhouse
- The beautiful reception location
Wedding Details at The Foundry
Included in The Foundry rental are the use of the venue’s main space, first and second floor, and the courtyard. The venue rental also includes the kitchen. The Courtyard, Greenhouse, and Terrace are spaces you can rent for another fee.
Couples must bring in their own rentals (provided by Broadway Party Rentals), caterers (from the venue’s preferred list), and other professionally-licensed vendors. The caterer will work with Broadway Party Rentals to provide the necessary tables, chairs, dishes, glasses, and other essential items. Couples can choose the color scheme and style of these rentals. The Foundry provides several tables, benches, bar tables, stools, and lounge tables for couples.
Air conditioning and heating are accessible in The Foundry’s main space. Additionally, you can rent heaters or fans for use in The Courtyard.
The Foundry has a 1,000-square-foot kitchen with a separate loading entrance onto 9th Street. The kitchen includes a stovetop range and oven, a convection oven, an industrial refrigerator, two residential refrigerators, a freezer, four sinks, stainless steel prep tables, shelves, and garbage cans.
The Foundry’s host is available on-site before, during, and after the event. Moreover, they will assist in the following:
- setting up,
- coordinating vendors,
- managing deliveries,
- overseeing lighting,
- maintaining cleanliness during the event,
- collecting lost items after guests are gone, and
- other helpful services.
Frequently Asked Questions: The Foundry Wedding Venue
Where is The Foundry located?
42-38 9th Street in Long Island City, Queens — directly across the East River from Midtown Manhattan, steps from the 7 train and accessible from most of the city in under 30 minutes. More at thefoundry.info.
What is The Foundry?
A 19th century metal foundry — you can still see the Albra Metal Foundry logo on the corner of 9th Street and 43rd Avenue — converted into one of New York City’s most distinctive event spaces. 3,000+ square feet of raw industrial space with an ivy-covered courtyard, a glass greenhouse, a rooftop terrace with Manhattan skyline views, a fully equipped industrial kitchen, and a mezzanine level. It was abandoned in the 1970s, purchased and restored by a family, and began hosting events in the early 2000s.
What are the different spaces at The Foundry?
The ivy-covered outdoor courtyard with Queensboro Bridge views. The glass greenhouse with exposed brick. The rooftop terrace with Manhattan skyline and Queensboro Bridge views. A 1,500 square foot industrial kitchen. A pool room used for getting ready. A mezzanine level. Exposed beams, brick walls, and arch-shaped cutout areas throughout. Each space has a completely different character and all of them photograph beautifully.
What is the light like at The Foundry?
The greenhouse floods with natural light during the day. The courtyard is open to the sky and catches beautiful afternoon light. The interior spaces are darker and more dramatic — exposed brick, industrial fixtures, the kind of ambient light that produces cinematic images. It’s one of the few venues in New York that works equally well for bright airy portraits and moody, atmospheric indoor coverage.
How many guests can The Foundry accommodate?
The venue is flexible — the raw space layout means configurations vary depending on the setup. Intimate ceremonies of 50 guests and receptions of 150+ are both possible. Confirm current capacity with the venue directly as it depends on how the spaces are arranged.
Is The Foundry good for wedding photography?
It’s one of my favorite venues in the city. The variety of backdrops within a single location is extraordinary — you can move from the greenhouse to the courtyard to the rooftop to the industrial interior without ever leaving the building. The light is interesting throughout the day. And the venue has enough character that the space itself contributes to the story of the day rather than just providing a neutral backdrop.
What neighborhood is The Foundry in?
Long Island City, Queens — a neighborhood that has its own distinct character separate from Manhattan. The surrounding streets have warehouse architecture and industrial textures that extend the portrait possibilities well beyond the venue itself. Gantry Plaza State Park is nearby for waterfront skyline portraits if you want to step outside.
Do you photograph weddings at The Foundry regularly?
Yes — it’s one of my most-shot venues in the New York area and one I’d return to without hesitation. If your wedding is at The Foundry, I’d love to hear about it. And for more on what I do across NYC venues, my NYC wedding photographer post covers the full picture.
The Foundry is one of those venues that photographers get excited about. If yours is here, I’d love to hear about it.
