Webster Hall Will Close For 18 Months During Renovations: Report

EAST VILLAGE, NY — The legendary Webster Hall will be closed for 18 months during extensive renovations, according to AM New York.

The iconic East Village music venue is shutting its doors for renovations under a new owner, and the space will be closed for more than a year. Heath Miller, an executive of Webster Hall Entertainment, told AM New York that the closure would last 18 months.

"When I was first told about the sale, it was supposed to be a short closure for minor renovations and I was told the buyers had plans to retain the venue staff, but now the closure period has grown to 18-plus months and that plan has switched from a short-term closure to a long-term closure," Miller said. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

In April, Webster Hall was bought by the AEG Presents and Brooklyn Sports and Entertainment. It will close on August 12 for the renovations. It's unclear how the character of the club will change under its new owners, but the club's outgoing general manager Gerald McNamee has cautioned that the venue will "close as we know it."

"Sad but true, the legendary and world-famous Webster Hall has been sold and will close as we know it for its final club night on Saturday August 5th, 2017," McNamee wrote on Facebook. "It will be closed for an undisclosed period of time for demo, reno and transition to corporate ownership under Barclays/AEG/Bowery Presents. 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."

The landmark venue has been open and hosting entertainers since 1886, according to its website. In total, the massive space can host in 2,500 people throughout three different venues.

Lead image credit: Robin Marchant / Stringer / Getty Images Entertainment.