The Space at Westbury

The Space at Westbury is a historic theater, concert venue and private event space at 250 Post Avenue in downtown Westbury, New York. Originally opened as the Westbury Movie Theater in 1927, the building survived decades of changing entertainment habits, deterioration and the threat of demolition before being extensively restored and reopened as a modern performance venue in 2013.

Today, The Space combines the character of an early 20th-century theater with contemporary sound, lighting and event facilities. Depending on the configuration, the main venue can accommodate approximately 150 to 1,500 guests and is used for concerts, comedy, private celebrations, corporate events and other live entertainment.

From the Westbury Movie Theater to The Space

The building’s history dates to 1927, when it opened as the Westbury Movie Theater. It was one of several theaters associated with Long Island theater operator Salvatore Calderone and was designed in a Tudor-inspired architectural style.

For much of the 20th century, the theater served as a neighborhood movie house on Post Avenue. Its prominent marquee, tall arched windows and distinctive auditorium made it an important part of downtown Westbury’s streetscape.

As traditional neighborhood movie theaters declined, however, the building fell into increasingly poor condition. The Westbury Theater ultimately closed in 2001 after years of deterioration and building-code problems. Its future remained uncertain, and demolition was considered a real possibility.

Saving and Restoring the Historic Theater

Rather than losing the building, developers led by Cyrus Hakakian and his partners undertook a major redevelopment intended to preserve the theater while adapting it for modern use. The current venue credits that effort with saving the historic structure from demolition.

Renovation work was underway by 2010, including removal of later alterations and restoration of the auditorium. The project transformed the former movie house into a flexible performing arts and event venue equipped with modern sound and lighting systems.

The newly rebuilt venue opened as The Space at Westbury in September 2013, beginning a new chapter for the nearly century-old building.

Concerts and Live Entertainment

The Space was designed to accommodate several different types of live performances rather than functioning solely as a traditional seated theater.

Concert configurations can include a standing general-admission floor along with seating in the loge and balcony areas. The venue’s official seating information notes that general-admission areas are standing-room configurations, while other layouts can use traditional theater seating.

Over the years, The Space has hosted touring musicians, tribute bands, comedians and special performances. Its relatively intimate size offers an experience quite different from larger Long Island venues such as UBS Arena or the outdoor amphitheaters at Jones Beach and Bald Hill.

The combination of a traditional auditorium and flexible floor space allows the building to shift between concert, theatrical and private-event configurations.

The Main Venue

The heart of the complex is the main performance and event hall, which The Space describes as accommodating approximately 150 to 1,500 guests, depending on how the room is arranged.

The room includes a full performance stage, modern production equipment, multiple bars and lounge areas. For concerts, seating and standing arrangements can be adjusted according to the type of show and expected audience.

This flexibility also allows the venue to host events that would not fit naturally into a conventional fixed-seat theater.

Weddings and Private Events

The Space at Westbury has increasingly become known not only as a concert venue but also as a large private-event destination.

The restored theater can be configured for weddings, corporate gatherings, fundraisers, bar and bat mitzvahs, holiday parties and other celebrations. The main room can be transformed with banquet seating, dance floors, staging and custom décor while retaining the architectural character of the old theater.

The property also contains smaller spaces for more intimate functions.

The Encore

A smaller event area known as The Encore is designed for gatherings that do not require the scale of the main theater.

According to the venue, The Encore can accommodate approximately 75 to 210 guests, making it suitable for smaller receptions, parties, corporate functions and similar events.

Together, The Space and The Encore allow the property to accommodate everything from relatively small private gatherings to concerts and large celebrations involving more than 1,000 people.

Architecture and Downtown Westbury

The building remains one of the most visually distinctive structures along Post Avenue.

Its façade incorporates cream-colored masonry, brick accents, large arched windows and a projecting theater marquee bearing the WESTBURY name. The renovated building maintains elements of its Tudor-inspired heritage while presenting a substantially modernized street-level entrance.

Its downtown location also distinguishes it from many of Long Island’s larger entertainment venues, which are surrounded by expansive parking lots or major highway complexes. The Space opens directly onto Post Avenue, placing visitors within Westbury’s traditional downtown business district.

Location and Getting There

The Space at Westbury is located at 250 Post Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590, in Nassau County.

Because it sits within a developed downtown rather than on a large dedicated campus, parking arrangements differ from those at major arenas. Visitors attending concerts or private events should review the event-specific instructions supplied by the venue before arriving.

The location is also within reach of the Westbury Long Island Rail Road station and the major road network serving central Nassau County.

The Space and Westbury Music Fair Are Different Venues

Visitors unfamiliar with the area sometimes confuse The Space at Westbury with the Westbury Music Fair, currently known as Flagstar at Westbury Music Fair.

They are completely separate venues.

The Space at Westbury is the restored historic theater at 250 Post Avenue in downtown Westbury, while Westbury Music Fair is the much larger theatre-in-the-round complex at 960 Brush Hollow Road. The Space traces its history to a 1927 movie theater, while Westbury Music Fair opened separately in 1956.

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The Space at Westbury

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Key Facts & Details

Key Fact	Details
Name	The Space at Westbury
Address	250 Post Avenue, Westbury, NY 11590
Community	Westbury
County	Nassau County
Venue Type	Historic theater, concert venue and private event space
Originally Opened	1927
Original Name	Westbury Movie Theater
Closed	2001
Reopened as The Space	2013
Main Venue Capacity	Approximately 150 to 1,500 guests
The Encore Capacity	Approximately 75 to 210 guests
Primary Uses	Concerts, live entertainment, weddings, private celebrations and corporate events
Historic Style	Tudor-inspired theater architecture
Official Website	The Space at Westbury

The Space at Westbury represents one of downtown Westbury’s most successful examples of historic preservation and adaptive reuse. A building that began entertaining local audiences as a movie theater in 1927 and later faced years of deterioration has been restored as a modern concert and event venue, preserving an important piece of Nassau County entertainment history while giving Post Avenue a distinctive performance space that remains active nearly a century after the theater first opened.