Gowanus' Lavender Lake To Close Ahead Of Building Demolition

BROOKLYN, NY — A redevelopment at the Carroll Street property Lavender Lake has called home for nearly a decade will force the popular watering hole to close next month, according to owners.

Adam and Mandy Sober, who first opened the Gowanus bar in 2012, announced over the weekend that Lavender Lake will close its doors Dec. 22 ahead of a demolition of the building, along with the property next door.

The owners hope to move the bar to a new, yet-to-be announced location in the spring, they said.

"It is with heavy hearts that we announce that Lavender Lake will be permanently closing it's doors (at this location) 12/22 because our building is being torn down to make even more condos," they wrote on Instagram.

Lavender Lake, whose name is an homage to one of the polluted canal's nicknames, first opened in June 2012 and was later rebuilt when Hurricane Sandy flooded the business months later.

According to owners, it was ironically the addition of nearby condos — bringing new customers — that turned the watering hole from a "destination bar" to a neighborhood staple.

"Unfortunately, LL will succumb to what at first, seemed like opportunity," owners wrote in a longer post on their website.

Department of Building records show that demolition permits for the Carroll Street building — along with the building next door, whose address is on President Street — were submitted in October.

Patch could not immediately find details about plans for the new building, which the Sobers said would be coming early next year.

The redevelopment will come several years after then-landlords first floated tearing down the bar and replacing it with new offices and shops in 2016, though those plans never came to pass, according to reports from the time.

The property was then sold to new owners in 2019, records show.

The Carroll Street property is one of several in Gowanus that developers have snatched up in recent years as a rezoning of the neighborhood, approved by City Council last week, looms. Redevelopment projects are also on their way to a property down the street from Lavender Lake and a massive site further north on Bond Street, according to reports.

Lavender Lake owners said they were told back when their building was sold that it would most likely be torn down.

"...They are very thankful to have been able to hold onto the historical carriage house for this long," they wrote online.

Details about the new location, which the Sobers said will be nearby, will be announced soon, according to the post. Owners could not immediately be reached for further comment.

"[Owners] would...like to let their customers know that they sincerely appreciate all of their years of love and loyalty," they wrote. "...This is a 'see ya soon' and not a 'goodbye.'"