Published
Wed, Apr 19, 2017, 20:16
- The landlord backed out of plans to reopen it as a licensed venue, and will bring a nightclub into the building instead.
Shea Stadium will not reopen as planned, and will begin the search for a new space.
The East Williamsburg show space has been closed for over a month because of "increased pressure from local authorities" with regards to permits and building codes. They launched a Kickstarter campaign in mid-March to fund the process of permitting, licensing and renovating the venue—and have already doubled their goal of $50,000.
But today the venue's management made a statement on Facebook saying that their landlord had withdrawn his support from the project, effectively ending their eight-year tenure at 20 Meadow Street.
"Without his signature, it's impossible for us to move forward with our mission of bringing Shea back," they write. "After a fantastic near-decade relationship with our landlords and their family this reversal comes as a complete surprise."
The new plan for the building, they explain, includes a nightclub on the first floor and "no Shea Stadium upstairs." Though they've proposed scenarios in which the two could coexist, they say the owner has chosen to "make their foray into nightlife without us in the picture."
They will begin looking for a new space for Shea Stadium soon, and will use the money they raise from Kickstarter to help launch their new location.