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The Factory
The Factory was pop artist Andy Warhol's New York City studio and the center of his artistic, social, and filmmaking activities from 1964 to 1987. Originally located at 231 East 47th Street, the first studio became known as the "Silver Factory" because its walls were painted silver and covered in aluminum foil. The Factory became known for its distinctive blend of art production, experimental film, and music. It served as a gathering place for a wide circle of artists, musicians, writers, and underground personalities—collectively known as Warhol superstars—who contributed to the studio's reputation as one of the most influential creative hubs of its era.
In the late 1960s, the Factory relocated to 33 Union Square and evolved into a more streamlined operation focused on film production, while also serving as the headquarters of Interview magazine. During the 1970s, Warhol expanded production of his paintings, increasingly specializing in commissioned portraits of celebrities and wealthy patrons. By the time the Factory moved to 860 Broadway, it had transformed from an underground countercultural hangout into a sophisticated salon where Warhol entertained a rotating cast of celebrities, fashion figures, and socialites—many of whom were also prospective clients. In the 1980s, the Factory relocated once more, this time to 158 Madison Avenue, to accommodate Warhol’s growing business ventures in television and publishing.
In 1960, Pop artist Andy Warhol purchased a townhouse at 1342 Lexington Avenue in the Carnegie Hill neighborhood of Manhattan, which he also used as his art studio. Due to the mess his work was causing at home, Warhol wanted to find a studio where he could paint. A friend of his found an old unoccupied firehouse on 159 East 87th Street, where Warhol began working in January 1963. No one was eager to go there, so the rent was $150 a month. Later that year, Warhol was informed that the building would have to be vacated soon.
In November 1963, Warhol found another loft on the fifth floor at 231 East 47th Street in Midtown Manhattan, which would become the first Factory. Around this time, artist Ray Johnson introduced Warhol to a "haircutting party" at Billy Linich's apartment, decorated with tin foil and silver paint, prompting Warhol to adopt a similar scheme for the loft. By January 1964, Warhol had moved his studio to the new loft, an unlit, industrial space lacking the typical features of artists' studios. The previous tenant, a hat manufacturer, had removed all electrical fixtures, leaving wires hanging from the ceiling and a dirty gray concrete floor.
In early 1964, Linich began transforming the space, installing wiring and powerful floodlights and covering the interior—including the elevator—in silver, leading to its nickname, the Silver Factory. Always with a camera, he became the Factory's unofficial photographer; according to one account, when Warhol first turned to filmmaking, he handed Linich his Pentax SLR, saying, "Billy, you do the photography now, because I'm going to do movies." Linich became Billy Name and documented the scene extensively, capturing its personalities and daily activity. He took up residence in the loft's rear corner, where he lived and worked for the next four years. Two cats, Black Lace and White Pussy, also lived at the Factory.
Billy Name brought in a red couch that he found on the sidewalk, which became a prominent furnishing at the Factory. The sofa quickly became a favorite place for Factory guests to crash overnight. It was featured in many photographs and films from the Silver era, including Blow Job (1964) and Couch (1964). During the move in 1968, the couch was stolen while left unattended on the sidewalk for a short time.
During these years, amphetamine use was widespread at the Factory and was later described by Warhol as a driving force behind much of its creative activity. While some participants used it only occasionally, others, including Billy Name, used it daily. The most intensive users, such as Ondine and Brigid Polk, injected amphetamines, a practice associated with the Factory's more extreme drug culture. Although amphetamines were not yet widely regarded as dangerous, those devoted to their recreational use were often associated with the social margins of the era.
Warhol achieved a reputation for his large output of work with assistants, paid and volunteers, and sometimes friends who dropped by the Factory helped. He used silkscreens so that he could mass-produce images the way corporations mass-produced consumer goods. He attracted a ménage of poets, drag queens, socialites, musicians, and free-thinkers who became known as the Warhol Superstars. They starred in his films and created the atmosphere for which the Factory became legendary. Musician John Cale later recalled, "It wasn't called the Factory for nothing. It was where the assembly line for the silkscreens happened. While one person was making a silkscreen, somebody else would be filming a screen test. Every day something new."
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The Factory
The Factory was pop artist Andy Warhol's New York City studio and the center of his artistic, social, and filmmaking activities from 1964 to 1987. Originally located at 231 East 47th Street, the first studio became known as the "Silver Factory" because its walls were painted silver and covered in aluminum foil. The Factory became known for its distinctive blend of art production, experimental film, and music. It served as a gathering place for a wide circle of artists, musicians, writers, and underground personalities—collectively known as Warhol superstars—who contributed to the studio's reputation as one of the most influential creative hubs of its era.
In the late 1960s, the Factory relocated to 33 Union Square and evolved into a more streamlined operation focused on film production, while also serving as the headquarters of Interview magazine. During the 1970s, Warhol expanded production of his paintings, increasingly specializing in commissioned portraits of celebrities and wealthy patrons. By the time the Factory moved to 860 Broadway, it had transformed from an underground countercultural hangout into a sophisticated salon where Warhol entertained a rotating cast of celebrities, fashion figures, and socialites—many of whom were also prospective clients. In the 1980s, the Factory relocated once more, this time to 158 Madison Avenue, to accommodate Warhol’s growing business ventures in television and publishing.
In 1960, Pop artist Andy Warhol purchased a townhouse at 1342 Lexington Avenue in the Carnegie Hill neighborhood of Manhattan, which he also used as his art studio. Due to the mess his work was causing at home, Warhol wanted to find a studio where he could paint. A friend of his found an old unoccupied firehouse on 159 East 87th Street, where Warhol began working in January 1963. No one was eager to go there, so the rent was $150 a month. Later that year, Warhol was informed that the building would have to be vacated soon.
In November 1963, Warhol found another loft on the fifth floor at 231 East 47th Street in Midtown Manhattan, which would become the first Factory. Around this time, artist Ray Johnson introduced Warhol to a "haircutting party" at Billy Linich's apartment, decorated with tin foil and silver paint, prompting Warhol to adopt a similar scheme for the loft. By January 1964, Warhol had moved his studio to the new loft, an unlit, industrial space lacking the typical features of artists' studios. The previous tenant, a hat manufacturer, had removed all electrical fixtures, leaving wires hanging from the ceiling and a dirty gray concrete floor.
In early 1964, Linich began transforming the space, installing wiring and powerful floodlights and covering the interior—including the elevator—in silver, leading to its nickname, the Silver Factory. Always with a camera, he became the Factory's unofficial photographer; according to one account, when Warhol first turned to filmmaking, he handed Linich his Pentax SLR, saying, "Billy, you do the photography now, because I'm going to do movies." Linich became Billy Name and documented the scene extensively, capturing its personalities and daily activity. He took up residence in the loft's rear corner, where he lived and worked for the next four years. Two cats, Black Lace and White Pussy, also lived at the Factory.
Billy Name brought in a red couch that he found on the sidewalk, which became a prominent furnishing at the Factory. The sofa quickly became a favorite place for Factory guests to crash overnight. It was featured in many photographs and films from the Silver era, including Blow Job (1964) and Couch (1964). During the move in 1968, the couch was stolen while left unattended on the sidewalk for a short time.
During these years, amphetamine use was widespread at the Factory and was later described by Warhol as a driving force behind much of its creative activity. While some participants used it only occasionally, others, including Billy Name, used it daily. The most intensive users, such as Ondine and Brigid Polk, injected amphetamines, a practice associated with the Factory's more extreme drug culture. Although amphetamines were not yet widely regarded as dangerous, those devoted to their recreational use were often associated with the social margins of the era.
Warhol achieved a reputation for his large output of work with assistants, paid and volunteers, and sometimes friends who dropped by the Factory helped. He used silkscreens so that he could mass-produce images the way corporations mass-produced consumer goods. He attracted a ménage of poets, drag queens, socialites, musicians, and free-thinkers who became known as the Warhol Superstars. They starred in his films and created the atmosphere for which the Factory became legendary. Musician John Cale later recalled, "It wasn't called the Factory for nothing. It was where the assembly line for the silkscreens happened. While one person was making a silkscreen, somebody else would be filming a screen test. Every day something new."