Factory Town
{{distinguish|text = towns built around a factory; Mill towns}}
{{Short description|Concert venue}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = Factory Town
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| logo_image = Factory Town Logo.png
| logo_size = 200px
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| address = 4800 NW 37th Avenue
| country = United States
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| owner = Avra Jain
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| dimensions = 190,000-square-feet
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| built = 1946
| opened = {{Start date|2022|df=y}}
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| website = {{URL|https://www.factorytown.com/}}
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Factory Town is a concert venue in Hialeah, Florida, a suburb of Miami located in an old abandoned factory.
History
Factory Town is located in the formerly abandoned and Dixie Bedding mattress factory which was built in 1946 and employed 200 people at one time and primarily worked as a contractor to the United States Army to provide bedding for troops.{{cite web |last1=Viglucci |first1=Andres |title=What is Factory Town? Old industrial site promises a hip vibe for Hialeah |website=Miami Herald |url= https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/hialeah/article257542768.html |access-date=22 November 2024}}
Avra Jain who bought the site in order to make the youth of Hialeah, who had been moving out of the city in large numbers, interested in staying.{{cite web |last1=Viglucci |first1=Andres |title=‘Why not Hialeah?’: The city aims for entertainment, urban living to lure the young |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/hialeah/article258967313.html |website=Miami Herald |access-date=22 November 2024}}She sought to provide a concert space in the greater Miami region and to be a competitor to Wynwood. Jain chose to retain most of the structural integrity of the factory for its industrial aesthetic but stripped away the roof to make the venue open air.{{cite web |last1=Viglucci |first1=Andres |title=Developer Avra Jain finds gold where others can’t. Saving Miami’s history is her thing. |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/hialeah/article259157508.html |website=Miami Herald |access-date=22 November 2024}} A large kapok tree in the middle of the site was retained to create an ecological garden. Factory Town also has no master plan, allowing visiting acts to design the layout of the performance as they wish.
The venue would become part of the Leah Arts district, located between two Tri-Rail stations.{{cite web |last1=Viglucci |first1=Andres |title=Hialeah makeover focuses on arts district, transit hubs, big bet on Factory Town, and much more |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/real-estate-news/article259382264.html |website=Miami Herald |access-date=22 November 2024}}
Noise complaints
Shortly after its inception, the neighboring city of Miami Springs sued the venue for noise complaints. However, Hialeah's city government has voiced strong support for the venue. Miami Springs has described the venue and it's concerts as "nuisances" and "a significant annoyance" and claimed that there where 243 noise complaints claiming that residents "feared for their safety."{{cite web |last1=Karantsalis |first1=Theo |title=Miami Springs aims to pull plug on late-night bass from a Hialeah business |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/article257766693.html |website=Miami Herald |access-date=22 November 2024}} Miami Springs demanded Factory Town “abate all noise entering the [city]”.{{cite web |last1=Livingston |first1=Layron |title=City of Miami Springs files lawsuit due to noise from outdoor concert venue in Hialeah |url=https://www.local10.com/news/local/2022/02/22/city-of-miami-springs-files-lawsuit-due-to-noise-from-outdoor-concert-venue-in-hialeah/ |website=WPLG |access-date=22 November 2024}} However, since the venue is not located in Miami Springs, the city has instead sought legal action in Miami-Dade County courts. Jain claimed that she had never received any letter of complaint from Miami Springs, and first learned of their grievances when they filed suit against Factory Town. Hialeah's mayor Esteban “Steve” Bovo stated that he would address the concerns, but that he was also upset with neighboring municipalities "dictating what we can and can’t do in our city."{{cite web |last1=Brito |first1=Verónica Egui |title=Factory Town festivals disrupt neighborhoods in Hialeah, Miami Springs, residents say |url=https://www.miamiherald.com/news/local/community/miami-dade/hialeah/article295501109.html |website=Miami Herald |access-date=22 November 2024}}
The lawsuit from Miami Springs was ultimately dismissed after Factory Town hired a sound engineer and put in place measures to reduce the noise. However, this has not stopped locals from complaining about the noise including those from Hialeah and Brownsville.
References
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