The Page to Reopen Stadium Lounge

The Page Sports Bar and Restaurant announced Friday it will reopen the Stadium Lounge next weekend more than a month after a beating death occurred.

The restaurant's owners released the news on The Page's Facebook page, "Opening next weekend The NEW Stadium Lounge!! Check out Portsmouth's newest entertainment lounge! Great craft beer, wine, cocktails, and NEW tapas menu! Friday - Brickyard Blues Band, Saturday - Pat Foley."

Jon Wells, the manager at The Page, said Friday afternoon they will reopen the Stadium Lounge as "a seated lounge" with live entertainment and they will serve craft beer and wine along with the new Tapas menu. He said the new lounge will be open from 7 p.m. to 12 a.m. and the Brickyard Blues Band will perform on opening night on Friday, May 10.

"We felt it wasn't where we wanted to be and we decided to focus on the audience upstairs which is an older demographic," said Wells about the decision to close the Stadium Lounge about a month ago.

"We feel it will be better for the community," by providing entertainment for older adults instead of the younger nightclub crowd. "We want to move forward on a positive note."

The restaurant plans to open a comedy club in the Stadium Lounge in June and offer live music and host private functions, according to Wells. The Facebook announcement was also made just three days after Rockingham County Attorney Jim Reams and Portsmouth Police Chief Stephen DuBois announced of serving alcohol to patrons in a restricted area, which turned out to be the Stadium Lounge.

Reams said this crime allegedly occurred  on April 5, the night that Joshua Krantz, 24, of Dover was assaulted by another patron before Krantz later died in his apartment. If convicted, The Page could lose its liquor license and pay a $100,000 fine, but there would not be any jail time, according to Reams.

a week after a beating death occurred. According to Portsmouth Police, Krantz was on the dance floor on April 5 when he was struck from behind in the head by Zachary O'Neill, 24, of Dover. Krantz later went home to his apartment with his friends after he refused any medical treatment offered by The Page staff and later died after he has suffered a fractured skull, according to authorities.

O'Neill was arrested a few days later and charged with first degree assault. He is being held on $250,000 cash bail at the Rockingham County Jail in Brentwood and the charge against him could be upgraded to murder if the results of an autopsy being conducted by the State Medical Examiner determine that Krantz's cause of death is a homicide.

Mountzuris previously told Portsmouth Patch that he and Dussi wanted to convert The Stadium Lounge into an Italian restaurant to pay hommage to the city's northern tier, which was once known as the Little Italy of Portsmouth. The Page's liquor license is also scheduled to expire on May 31 and must be renewed by the New Hampshire Liquor Commission before it can serve alcohol after that date.

When asked why The Page is choosing to reopen the Stadium Lounge now that its parent corporation is facing a felony charge and a liquor license review, Wells, "I have no comment about that."

The restaurant owners' decision to reopen the Stadium Lounge was met with some harsh words from Portsmouth area residents on The Page's Facebook page.

John Decker wrote, "Go to the speed dating event! Bring Roofies and a bat. IIterested in someone? Give them a good beating and drag them home! Nothing says I'm interested like a bashed in skull!"

Joe Hinckle had this to say, "...pretty classless. make your money until the liquor license expires at the end of the month..."

Casey Hecker also condemned The Page's decision to reopen the Stadium Lounge. "...more like the beatdown lounge... you people running this bar should burn in hell."