Another Icon in Limbo

"Lenox Lounge 2014" © 2014

When someone mentions great Jazz, Harlem comes to mind. Venues like the original Cotton Club and the Apollo come to mind, with their iconic neon signs and storied histories of arguably the greatest musicians of the 20th century playing their music night after night. The Lenox Lounge was another historical venue that had seen good times and bad.

On a recent visit to NYC, I explored Harlem and sought out some of the historic places to see how they had fared over the years. Of course the Cotton Club is no longer where it once was, nor is the Apollo. And while I did not have a chance to visit the old site nor the new Cotton Club, I did get a chance to stop by the Apollo. Surrounded by chain stores and street vendors, I was disappointed, yet still felt nostalgic over at least being able to walk into the theater and say I had been there. The Lenox Lounge was a completely different story, and I could not wait to get there!

A quick search on google told me I was close so I was on my way! According to the website, they opened from 4pm-4am, and had quite a nice menu. A recent renovation which restored all the early art deco decor would undoubtedly ensure a quality experience, right? As you can see from the photo above, the Lenox lounge was not only not quite as advertised, but had been stripped and shuttered since early 2012.

Apparently, when the lease expired, rent was increased so much the owner decided it just wasn't feasible and decided to sell. It was also decided that a new Lenox Lounge would be opened two blocks away, so rather than honor the sale agreement with the new owners, the previous owner stripped all the decor, the sign and even the flooring and wall coverings to be used in the new space!

As of May 2014, the old and new owners appear to be embroiled in a $25 million lawsuit over the details of the sale with each other, with the old owners nearly out of money, and neither location looking like they will be opening any time soon. Meanwhile, yet another historic institution sits in ruin, with a very bleak future.

For the sake of comparison, this is what Lenox Lounge once looked like... notice how even the outer wall coverings were stripped!

Thanks for stopping by!