Improvements at the 150-year-old Union Square building will include revamps of the lobby area and the music hall, new bars on all levels of the venue, a new downstairs VIP lounge, and the remodeling of the mezzanine including a new box-seating section configuration located on the mezzanine.
Originally, the building was four separate brownstones, which were eventually combined into a hotel in the 1870s. In 1927, the building was gutted and turned into a ballroom-style theater and christened Irving Plaza.Over the next few decades, Irving Plaza would serve as a union meeting house, a performance space for folk dance troupes, and a Polish Army Veteran community center, as well as a venue for the Peoples Songs Hootenannies with Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie.
In 1978, Irving Plaza was converted into a rock music concert hall, where EVG once saw Dogstar for some reason.
In late 2017, Michael Swier, co-owner of Bowery Ballroom and Mercury Lounge and an original founder of the Bowery Presents, and Live Nation Entertainment created promotions and booking venture called Mercury East Presents. Their combined venues include the Mercury Lounge, Bowery Ballroom, Irving Plaza, Gramercy Theatre and Warsaw. The other facilities already have shows books in the months ahead.
Previously on EV Grieve:
Founder Adam Rosner explains that "At the beginning (of the pandemic), we got our teeth kicked in like the majority of New York City. We innovated, did a lot of shipping and now see a little spark in walking traffic."Andrew Hazen, a partner, says it opted to expand during a pandemic because "We believe in the future of New York City, and we felt now is the perfect time to invest in it while rents are currently tenant-friendly."In fact, Rosner asserts that he was able to secure two long-term leases in Manhattan with rents that were 35 percent to 40 percent below previous market levels.
For anyone keeping track, the Blondie mural on Bleecker at the Bowery has been restored ... this after being tagged last month... after being restored back in December.
Art in Odd Places (AiOP) 2021: NORMAL, curated by Furusho von Puttkammer, invites artists to critique and dissect the American Mythos for AiOP’s 16th annual public art and performance festival taking place from Avenue C to the Hudson River along 14th Street ...Visit the AiOP website for more details and a list of participating artists.
My dad shot these videos. We were all going to Easter Mass at Most Holy Redeemer then to Nana Julie's and Grandpa Walter's for Easter lunch. We were waving to my Grandma Anna in the window. Others on the street were are family friends and neighbors all getting together for Easter.
The hippies had moved into the neighborhood and basically took over the Park. On Easter, they built their version of the crucifixion with human skulls, etc. It didn't last long as some of the local guys knocked it down because it upset their wives and mothers.
The street-front store is next to the Chic Choc bar [now Sophie's]...it belonged to Willie Silverman. He and his son Sidney bought closeouts from department stores and wholesalers. Every night the neighborhood would gather in front of his hole in the wall to see what crap bargains we could get. These were great times!"
