CBGB swept away, ready for new tenant

By Justin Rocket Silverman, amNewYork Staff Writer | jsilverman@am-ny.com

6:58 PM EDT, August 28, 2007

The inside of what was CBGB. (amNewYork Photo/Justin Rocket Silverman / August 28, 2007)

Rock 'N Roll lives on! Can't shut us down! Mad Dog wuz here!

The graffiti outside what was once CBGB is scrawled in English, Spanish and even Arabic. It is among the only visual signs of the now shuttered music club and a reminder of the rough-and-tumble Bowery neighborhood that once surrounded it.

CBGB itself has been gutted, and all that remains of the venue that launched The Ramones, Blondie, The Talking Heads and others are walls plastered with yellowing flyers and holes in the floor where the bar and stage once stood.

Almost a year after CBGB closed last October, the air inside still smells faintly of mold, stale beer and cigarettes. But so far, no one has stepped in to fill the space.

"We've been fielding inquires from art galleries, apparel stores, really high end stuff," said Jonathan Krieger, a broker with RKF who is representing the 13,000 square feet in the two storefronts that once comprised CBGB and its 313 Gallery. Krieger said the space will rent for about $200 per square foot.

When owner Hilly Kristal opened the club in 1973, his rent was about $600 per month. He used to joke that the benefit of being located in one of the city's seediest neighborhoods was that the punk rockers who frequented his club actually looked like respectable citizens compared to many local residents.

By 2004, Kristal was paying $19,000 a month. Last year his landlord, the Bowery Residents Committee, which owns the homeless shelter above the club and the building, evicted Kristal and raised the rent to $65,000 a month. Kristal had talked of relocating to Las Vegas, but no formal announcements have been made.

Krieger says it is just a matter of time before a new tenant emerges.

"The Bowery is what the Meatpacking District was three years ago," he said. "With the opening of new retail tenants in [nearby] Avalon Bay, the level of luxury is getting very high. Within the next six month to year, the neighborhood will look more like [the West Village.] Within two years you'll see that almost all the retail businesses there will have changed."