NOHO — After being closed for most of the summer, the celebrated Lafayette Street music venue Joe's Pub will soon reopen as a better "listening room" than ever, its staff said during a sneak preview tour.
Renovations to Joe's Pub — where Adele, Steve Martin and Justin Vivian Bond have performed — have bumped up its number of seats from 150 to 190, improved its sight lines and created a new entrance that will connect to the lobby of The Public Theater, of which Joe's Pub is a part.
Director Shanta Thake said that connecting Joe's Pub to "The Public" will significantly change the feeling of the building.
"This now feels like a very communal space," Thake said. "We are opening up to the community, to people who want to come here to grab a cup of coffee or a drink. We want to really have this be a community center."
Work on Joe's, which is located at 425 Lafayette St., has repositioned its stage. Managing director Kevin Abbott said the move is better for performers and their audiences.
"No matter where you are, you have the best seat in the house now," Abbott said.
The room, designed by part owner Serge Becker, will retain its piano key-design bar and add sea foam green tweed banquettes, black marble ledges for drinks, brass tables and chandeliers with amber-colored globes, Abbott said.
The renovations preserved historic details like neoclassical pillars and ceiling work. Abbott said the venue wanted to improve while retaining its character.
"The thing that was imperative to us was that people would walk in and say, 'Oh, it's still Joe's Pub. They've just cleaned it up a little bit."
Joe's has also added a service bar outside the performance space, so the sound of martinis being shaken will no longer detract from the performances.
Even the restrooms at Joe's got an upgrade, which quadrupled the number of stalls.
"The bathrooms are so awesome now," Thake said.
The venue reopens Tuesday, Oct. 4 with a concert by performer Stew, who won a Tony Award for the book version of his rock musical "Passing Strange." A full schedule of fall events is available on Joe's Pub's website.
