In a developing story we helped break months ago, Brooklyn’s Iconic metal venue Saint Vitus Bar was shut down by order of The New York City Department of Buildings (DOB). Now it seems the bar is closed for good, according to posts from several well-known artists and New York metal and music industry personalities with intimate knowledge of the bar and owners. No official statement has been made but this sounds pretty final. This is a devastating blow to the metal world, as the club just and a book documenting the history was just released. The owners and boomers continue to book shows in partnership with other venues in the city. The closure was thought to be temporary. Thanks to the reporting of Lambgoat, we now know the citations for missing certificate and proper signage are the things the DOB has cited, but the venue has operated without incident for a decade and a half, as the home of underground metal shows in New York without equal. In addition to providing a constant home from underground Metal and Hardcore shows, special events such as Metal Band Craft Beer launches, Black Metal Yoga, gothy arts and crafts events, music documentary showings, and has hosted legendary events such as one of the few ever Nirvana reunions after Kurt Cobain’s death, and intimate shows Anthrax, Megadeth, Machine Head and more. Like many venues the band was shuttered during the global COVID-19 pandemic and fan supported crowdfunding kept them a float and led to a minor remodel of the club in the last few years. Ghost Cult has covered countless shows at Saint Vitus Bar, it has always been a safe, great place to see a show. and it would seem some of these claims are without merit in our opinion. Why does the DOB show up at 8 PM on a Friday to close down a club? Not the police or the fire department. We will update this news as it develops and pray Saint Vitus Bar can reopen somewhere else.
Saint vitus Bar initially commented:
On Friday 2/16 in the middle of a scheduled show, the DOB shut down all operations at Saint Vitus. We are saddened and deeply frustrated by the circumstances and are working to remedy the situation as fast we can. This closure is temporary, but we want to address everything that directly affects our community of artists and fans alike. Please be patient as we work through this, and thank you for your continued support.
Love & hails,
Team Vitus
I HAVE TICKETS TO / AM PLAYING AN UPCOMING SHOW, WHAT DO I NEED TO KNOW?
We are announcing venue changes for the immediate upcoming calendar as they come in. We are sorting each show in chronological order-artists are already in contact with our team and will be updated ASAP, and public announcements will also be rolled out shortly.
You will not need to do anything if you have an advance ticket, just keep an eye out on the email associated with your DICE account and our Instagram for continued announcements.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT SAINT VITUS BAR AT THIS TIME?
For now, do what you do best: show up to see live music. Buy your ticket in advance. We are continuing to announce Vitus Presents shows at our partner venues, and again, will reopen for business as usual as soon as we are able to.
We’ll be rolling out ways to support our onsite staff who have been affected by this closure soon, and if you want to help on that front, continue to let us know. Our online merch store was unfortunately undergoing a relaunch when this occurred, but we’re working on next steps. Watch this space for updates.
If you live in Greenpoint, reach out to your local representatives and let them know how much SV matters to you. We deeply appreciate everyone who has reached out, posted in support-even worn our merch out in solidarity.
I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION…
With all due respect, we’re a little swamped at the moment. Please bear with us and know we are working around the clock to get through this. We will share more information as we navigate this process.
A document obtained from nyc.gov shows the nature of the bureaucratic discrepancies levied against the bar from the NYC Department of Buildings.
The complaint outlines a few issues, such as the absence of maximum occupancy signs, potential overcapacity, an outdated Certificate of Occupancy, and operating without a Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation (PACO).
The complaint reads:
As of Friday, September 22, 2023 the following are facts about 1120 Manhattan Avenue know to the public as Saint Vitus Bar: 1) Saint Vitus Bar does not have any maximum occupancy signs posted anywhere, and more often than not they host more people than their allotted maximum capacity. 2) Saint Vitus Bar’s most recent Certificate of Occupancy on file with the Department of Buildings does not allow it to operate as an eating/drinking establishment. There is no other Certificate of Occupancy or Letter of No Objection that supersedes their Certificate of Occupancy dated November 12, 1953. 3) Saint Vitus Bar is currently operating without a Place of Assembly Certificate of Operation (PACO). 4) Saint Vitus Bar was issued summons (see ECB Violation # 39090715Z) for ALTERED/CHANGE BUILDING OCCUPIED WITHOUT A VALID C OF O AS PER 28-118.3.1- 28-118.1-2. They have paid the penalty but have not corrected the situation. I will continue to make this complaint on a daily basis until either the Department of Buildings performs an inspection or until Saint Vitus Bar can remedy their situation.
