EAST VILLAGE — Webster Hall will soon shutter for an unknown period of time to undergo renovations before reopening under new management, the soon-to-be former operator has announced.
The legendary venue's final dance-centric "club night" will be Aug. 5 and its final concert will be Aug. 9, the event calendar shows — the roster leading up to the closing night includes Good Charlotte and Michelle Branch.
Current operator Gerard McNamee took to Facebook Sunday to encourage fans of the club to come out one last time before the "end of [an] era."
"I highly recommend that you all stop by before the end of this era to pay your respects to [current owners] the Ballingers and the building for providing us with a lifetimes worth of memories," wrote McNamee. "There are only 12 club nights left. Please come celebrate our rich 25 year history of being the biggest, baddest and longest running nightclub in the history of New York City."
The space is poised to be purchased by a joint venture between Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment and AEG Presents — which previously purchased Bowery Presents — a collective that also runs such venues as The Barclays Center and Terminal 5.
The new owners will carry out renovations to the structure before re-launching as a concert-centric venue with fewer dance nights, according to documents filed with the local community board, which lay out plans to close the space's Marlin Room and use it as an additional bar and waiting area for attendees waiting to enter the grand ballroom.
However, public records do not indicate the property had been sold as of Monday afternoon.
The sale hinges on the New York State Liquor Authority's "conditional" approval of a liquor license for new concession vendors Spectrum Catering, community board documents show. The operators applied for a license in early May, and the application was still pending as of Monday afternoon. The SLA did not immediately return an inquiry on whether such an approval had been granted.
Community Board 3 in June voted to recommend the SLA deny the license unless the applicant agrees to a host of stipulations, according to board voting records, including the hiring of adequate security to monitor events and a 4 a.m. close time.
The board's vote also demands the venue not host sporting and gaming events, though the club's representatives stated at a recent community board meeting they will host gaming competitions in the grand ballroom.
An attorney representing the new operators did not return requests for comment.
Filmmaker Ian Hamilton has launched a Kickstarter to raise funds for a documentary film project to chronicle the venue's final month before reopening under "corporate management."
The project had raised $2,150 towards its $15,000 goal as of Monday afternoon.
