In a decision that surprised me, a civil court judge in New York ruled that legendary club CBGB's cannot be evicted for not realizing it owed its landlord money.
Apparently the club is in for $100k in back rent, saying it never got a notice when the rent was raised some four years ago. Seems unlikely, but I guess anything is possible.
Still, the good thing is the judge recognized CBGB's for what it is - a historical landmark in music.
"CBGB has proven itself worthy of being recognized as a landmark -- a rare achievement for any commercial tenant in the ever diverse and competitive real estate market of New York City," she wrote in the ruling, a copy of which was provided to The Associated Press by the Save CBGB's Coalition.
Sure, I don't think just because a place is historic, or famous or whatever it should be excused when breaking the law, but at the same time, some amends must be made for such places so that they can survive.
Unfortunately, the future of CBGB's is still uncertain, as the lease expires at the end of August and has yet to be renewed. Here's hoping New York doesn't lose another legend.
1 comment:
I can't imagine anyone who would evict CBGBs. That's like evicting the Empire State Building.
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