From Punk Shows to $3k Jackets: What CBGB and 6 Other Classic NYC Buildings Are Now

Live long enough in New York and you ’re bond to see an old Roma saloon or 1920s motion-picture show palace sting the detritus . The staggering economic rent intend holding is always turn over – and it also means the city ’s iconic resort go through some strange shift . Here ’s how seven famous deli , bars , and disco clubs were renew . A couple of these updates are mildly ( to sternly ) uncheerful , but hey , at least we got a baseball stadium out of all this .

CBGB

315 BoweryWhat it is now : A high - ending clothing storeEven if you were born long after the Ramones ’ first concert at CBGB ( poor for Country , BlueGrass , and Blues ) , you probably sported one of the nine ’s black MT - shirts during your malcontent teen years . The punk and new undulation locus acquired a legendary status in the 1970s thanks to a slew of show from Blondie , Talking Heads , and many more . Its success continued into the 1980s and 1990s , but CBGB remove a snag in the zilch . Owner Hilly Kristal and his landlord begin oppose over the rent in a years - long battle that finally went to court . Kristalagreed to vacatethe property by Halloween of 2006 , but host a blowout lead by CBGB favourite Patti Smith on October 15th as a last hooray . Fashion room decorator John Varvatos subsequently turned the buildinginto a boutiquethat sellsshearling crownwork for $ 3,000 , which pissed off many former slam dancers – althoughVarvatos insistshe save the space from a far worse lot : getting turned into a camber .

Hippodrome Theatre

1120 6th AveWhat it is now : An office buildingWhen the Hippodrome opened in 1905 , it was touted as thelargest theater in the world . True to that lofty claim , the venue saw many grand spectacles in its 24-hour interval – the craziest belike being when Harry Houdini play a five - short ton elephant name Jennie on microscope stage for his 1918 wizard show , and then made her disappear . Butthe Hippodrome sufferedas movies started go by vaudeville and sideshows as the preferred mannequin of amusement . The theatre tried to contain film into its repertoire , but the ploy did n’t oeuvre , and the intact building was razed in 1939 . Now , it ’s another sleek government agency construction on Sixth Ave , still called the Hippodrome .

Studio 54

254 W 54th StWhat it is now : A theaterYou’ve heard the stories about Elton John and Andy Warhol ’s dotty Night , and seen the photos ofBianca Jagger rag a horsethrough the dance base . For well-nigh a decade , Studio 54 was the decadent disco to outfox . But all the good parties come to an end , and this institution was no exclusion . After Studio 54 close down in 1986 , it serve as a locale for rock-and-roll show , then sit in neglect for several years . In 1998 , the Roundabout Theatre Companymounted a productionofCabaretin the forgotten construction . The grouping then bought the space in 2003 and made it a lasting home for its looseness and musicals – including wholesome stuff that would have never appealed to the Studio 54 crowd , likeHoliday Inn .

The Gaslight Cafe

116 MacDougal StWhat it is now : An upscale cocktail barIn the 1960s , play the Gaslight Cafe was a rite of enactment for emerging musicians . It did n’t matter if you were Bob Dylan , Bruce Springsteen , or James Taylor – you had to be there . But the beat haven seemingly could n’t survive the new decade , and closed for skillful in 1971 . The space is now engage byThe Up & Up , an upscale cocktail Browning automatic rifle that seek to channel the spot ’s history with framed vintage bill poster while attend $ 15 drinks .

Steeplechase Park

1904 Surf AveWhat it is now : A venial conference baseball stadiumSteeplechase Park was the entertainment parking lot that launch Coney Island as New York ’s roll - coaster address , before it was ultimately play down by a Trump . George C. Tilyou was spurred to start the parking area after seeing a Ferris wheel in the flesh at the1893 Columbian Exposition in Chicago . Once he grow one for himself , along with several more mechanically skillful rides , he invite invitee to Steeplechase for the downhearted entrance fee of $ .25 . The entertainment park suffered setbacks due to 1907 and 1939 fires , but it handle to keep the ride move until 1965 . pressure into a financial compressed spot , the Tilyou family sold to real - estate of the realm business leader Fred Trump ( Father of the Church of Donald ) . There was talk of the town of a possible historical landmark designation , but Trump demolished the car park before preservationists could win any adhesive friction . The elder Trump then planned to build flat edifice on the circle , except he could n’t get the right zoning . So NYC Parkssnapped up the land . In 2000 , construction lead off on a baseball game stadium for Brooklyn ’s then - new pocket-size conference team , the Cyclones . That task became MCU Park , where the cyclone still play today .

Mars Bar

25 E 1st StWhat it is now : A bank , flat , and a wellness food cafeThis dear East Village dive managed to survive even as so many grungy relics of the 1970s and eighties seemed to fold to a new set of condos . But the Grim Reaper came for Mars Bar in 2011 , after wellness code misdemeanour – namely , about850 yield flies– shut the seat down . There was no coming back , since developers were already contrive to pull down the building to put up Modern flat . BFC Partners did just that , ironically naming the new place Jupiter 21 . The complex alsoincluded a TD Bankright on the nook where Mars Bar once stood , but that was n’t the true dagger to the dive ’s clientele – it was the supposed “ replacement”sanctioned by the belated Mars Bar ownerHank Penza that turn out to be awellness meccafeaturing wheatgrass shots and yoga class .

Stage Deli

834 7th AveWhat it is now : A mutation barFor years , serious New York sandwich fancier were asked to select sides : were you Team Stage Deli or Team Carnegie Deli ? Then in 2012 , stagecoach waved the white masthead , closing downover rent spike . ( lamentably , Carnegie is also leaving usat the goal of the year . ) In its glory days , Stage was known for craft tremendous pastrami sandwiches and refer them for celebrity like Eddie Murphy . But since then , pub fare has taken over the card . Stagecoach Tavernnow reside at the one-time savoir-faire , and serves steak fries along with unconstipated sports programming .

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CBGB