Monday, December 21, 2015

Garage

VANISHING

In case you missed the news, the Garage restaurant is closing.


via Brunch Upon a Time

Reader Elizabeth writes in that the last day is January 3. She says, "their rent was going to be hiked to $50k a month. So they are closing. I am heartsick. My friend George and I had Thanksgiving dinner there many times over the years, and loved hanging at the big beautiful wood bar and listening to jazz. No plans to try to reopen in NYC."

I don't know how long exactly Garage has been on Seventh Avenue in the Village, but I guess it's been about 20 years.

Originally a garage, the building has long been a home for jazz and theater--of one sort or another. Over 75 years ago, it was the Nut Club, a nightclub that hosted cockroach races.




cockroach racing (photo via GVSHP)

In the 1950s, it was jazz club The Pad and then Lower Basin Street, where Dave Brubeck played.

After jazz, the building housed live theater as the Sheridan Square Playhouse, home of the Circle Repertory from 1969 - 1994, when they moved to a larger space shortly before folding.

Today, Garage hosts jazz every night and specializes in a jazz brunch. There will only be a few of those left.


Cars on the wall of Garage













3 comments:

John K. Friedman said...

Garage has been in that location at least since 1992 or 93. I used to live around the corner on 4th between Jones and Cornelia. Garage was always my wife's and my first choice for brunch in the neighborhood when we craved something with jazz. It was also pretty good for people watching out the window on 7th from the bar.

Scout said...

Oh, I am glad to see this awful place go, after they threw out one of New York City's BEST Off-Broadway theatre companies, Circle Rep.

If you weren't in NY during the 80s, you can't know how important Circle Rep was; and they didn't leave that space willingly, they were ejected in favor of a generic restaurant.

This space had been a theatre since 1958, and should always have been a theatre (and should be one again, but won't).

Anonymous said...

I'd be glad and can't wait for the awful Scout to go.