Webster Hall in Trouble
Is the recently landmarked Webster Hall in trouble of closing? According to a Little Birdy, the club is in serious arrears to the City, State and vendors, and may be on the verge of declaring bankruptcy. Our LB tells us:
The club owes a ton of rent to the actual landlords of the building, in excess of $400,000 and have had partial rent checks bounce. They owe the city/state over $100,000 in back taxes. They owe the city money for their water bill. They owe tons of creditors money as well for alcohol, promotions, etc. They are looking for some kind of bail out from the state (for the taxes issues) and the landlord (apparently they would like their rent lowered by half until things "get better"). It seems that mismanagement over the years has left WH in shambles and in the 20 years they have been opened the owners have not save a penny for rainy days like this.
Everyone wants a bailout, except your good friend DBTH. All told, Webster Hall is $600,000 in the red. We guess that the Studio space hasn't brought the additional revenue that the club was hoping for. Is the designer, our good friend Mr. Lewis, cursed? Either way, the club will need some kind of financial savior to help keep them hosting music for another 100 years. Let's hope they find one.
DBTH
Reader Comments (19)
does this really surprise anyone??? i'm surprised it didn't happen earlier...
yet another case of steve lewis overhyping some shit project as the next thing to revolutionize nyc nightlife. i wonder if he got paid for that redesign...
richie romero & yuval eder = trouble for your space
i may indeed be overestimating the help :) webster is kicking ass with all those great bowery shows but i guess thats not enough. i havent been there in 6 months.
yuval is the bottom of the barrel. richie romero? i thought he died. Who hires these people? Do they actually get paid for destroying a club or do they do it for free to be douches and try to bang 16 year old girls from NJ?
Who goes to Webster Hall, such a terrible place!! DBTH, what has happened with your writing? It's been terrible lately -- grammatical mistakes left and right! Shameful for such a highly touted publication. Fire the Editor!!
I have to agree with most of the comments above. Could someone explain why Webster Hall closing would be bad? If its really that mismanaged its probably a crappy venue and should close.
The only reason I hope they go out of biz is because GVSHP fought to have this place landmarked. HAHA!! Karma could be a bitch!
I say that building would make a nice condo renovation :)
Hey Guys... don't believe everything you read without questioning it... look at the source they say gave them the information: "a little birdy" - do you really think this is reliable? Could it be a disgruntled employee? Or a writer just trying to get a story out of nothing?
And any responsible journalist would have approached Webster Hall to offer them a chance to give their side of the story... but we don't get that here.
Just rumor and speculation.
i actually question the source myself as webster which does indeed owe me some money but is arranging payment. if they were truly going the bankrupt route i doubt i would be having these discussions. webster is and always will be their own thing. they have great shows and great dj's. i agree the promotion with yuval was an obvious blunder but it did start smack dab in the middle of a depression, as far as richie romero is concerned he is a great person a good friend and does a great job of filling places that need to be filled. he works all over town and in this very unforgiving business he wouldnt be hired at all if he were not a bottom line kind of guy... heaven knows he cant get by on his looks or charms.. as far as the commenter who called me "old". well thank you. i love the plug and i agree i'm sure i',\m older than you. i'm also wiser, cooler, more charismatic have more friends, money a better apartment , cuter pets, a bigger.... and my girl is super hot... i did more yesterday than you will this year.. have a goodnight
Steve, I had respect for you before I read that last post of yours. Who the fuck do you think you are?
You sound like one of those losers who stands outside of clubs after not being let in and telling the doorman he can buy the place etc, etc. The big question is Mr. Trump would you have even more money if Webster Hall paid their bills?
guys, businesses as and big and successful as webster hall don't go bankrupt over 600k. times are tough for everyone in this industry but saying wh is in danger of closing is far from truth
That's really sad news if it's true. I've been going to Webster Hall since I was 17 years old (I'm 25 now). It's such a unique old world space, I've never seen a an old structure used for a night club like that anywhere else in NYC. I will add that I recently took my cousin from Florida to the new Circus night there on Saturdays. My cousin really enjoyed it, as I did as well. There were lot's of interesting entertainers walking about. and there was an amazing show in the main room with this fabulous cross dressing MC who had a bunch of dancers come out in beautiful costumes...
Webster HAll may not be the most trendy place to go in NYC but it's still good clean fun! Hang in there Webster Hall!!!
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the nightlife changed years ago, and people fail to realize it, and just kept feeding memories and egos, thinking the money train was never gonna end. Very few people knew how to develop it into a profitable business, just kept it as a big party.. but then again maybe that was the big problem.. people with no business skills tried to turn the party into a business ?!! and fucked everything up. Maybe there is 2 models to this madness. a) to make money; b) to party ? yes Richie is a great guy, hard worker, Yuval same boat, Steve at one point had his hand on the pulse of the city.. over now ( but every other club now incorporates elements of his late designs. funny how things evolve, maybe writing a book on club design instead of a column rehashing old war stories? something to think about? ) The city nightlife, clubs, are lacking soul, personality. Every place has the same musical format ( credit to WH with their DJ lineups ) tired ass european doorman that do not know shit from shinola.. how can you expect a dude from France or MIami that happens to move to the city last summer know about NYC? its history and idiosyncrasies its personalities and their eccentricities? promoters trying to get paid for not bring in people.. Club owners thinking that their tired ass space can sell an illusion to people and as a consequence bottles .. same formula all over..All i see when i go out is a bunch of pseudo celebrities acting on old stories, trying to be the next big thing..with no talent at all .. and the funny thing people actually catering to them!!!
i was told by someone that was very smart once " if he is artsy, and can be put on page six he is a celebrity "
it seems like everyone can make it to page six just pay the right people .. and also these club owners ..
when this become TEL AVIV ?
All im saying is that the city lost its soul, sense of party and sense of style .. everything is dictated by TMZ , or perez hilton or that other wack show thats constantly blurring inside cabs.. when did kids from jersey become cool ? when did it become hip that you need guidos to make your party money? It is all the same all over the city ( i know the LES kids are around, but even them are doing the same thing in their own world ) i don't see it changing anytime soon...
I am going to the bar nickel beers and watch the lakers .....
To an extent I agree with ghstmars. I remember the clubs back in their heyday 90's and how much was going on. I think with the internet especially and the last decade and a half of go go wallstreeters, NYC has changed into what ghstmars describes as a soulless city. Those days will not come back but in times of hardship (1970s punk new wave, Bowery scene , Basquiat, Herring, Mapplethorpe, etc) there can be a new evolution of that dasterdly yet beloved sense of lowlife debauchery where "fakeness" was at a minimum. Here's to evolution.
It was obvious this place was going down the drain and into financial troubles when they brought in Richie Romero in to milk them dry. The guys great at business, he syphons money out of nightclubs until they go broke. Look at The Grand.
Caveat Emptor.
Dealing with NYC promoters is one of the most dificult things to accomplish in business. Those who underestimate the treachery involved, do so at their own peril. Until this country turned into a bunch of pussies, that was pretty much the law. Bailouts? You let yourself get taken and you're took. When that's not the way things go in NYC, we're all in BIG trouble. Oh wait, it already happened.