The beloved Webster Hall music venue “as we know it” will close next month, manager Gerard McNamee announced on Facebook Monday.
“Sad but true, the legendary and world-famous Webster Hall has been sold,” McNamee wrote, continuing to explain that the venue will hold its final club night on Aug. 5 and undergo renovation. According to the club’s website, concerts are still scheduled through Aug. 9.
Good Charlotte, Michelle Branch and Declan McKenna are among the performers currently set up as the venue’s closing acts. Shows scheduled for the fall have since been moved to other venues, including Highline Ballroom and Terminal 5.
“I highly recommend that you all stop by before the end of this era to pay your respects to the Ballingers and the building for providing us with a lifetimes worth of memories. There are only 12 club nights left,” McNamee added. “Please come celebrate our rich 25 year history of being the biggest, baddest and longest running nightclub in the history of New York City.”
Renovations have been scheduled by the venue’s new owners, Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment and AEG Presents, which previously acquired Webster booker Bowery Presents. According to documents filed by the Manhattan community board in April, the renovation includes plans to transform the existing Marlin concert room into a “pre-gathering space and waiting area for grand ballroom events.”
McNamee did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It’s not yet clear when the venue is expected to reopen.
Longtime concertgoers aren’t taking the news well. Tweets of disappointment flooded Twitter after the announcement.
“Webster Hall’s void will leave a big hole in New York nightlife,” David Ireland wrote.
The 40,000-square-foot landmarked club at 125 E. 11th St. opened as a performance venue in 1886.
