Vail-Leavitt Music Hall sale to bring a jazz infusion to Riverhead

In a faded photograph on his desk at Stony Brook University, Thomas Manuel smiles alongside jazz legends Lee Konitz and Percy Brice after a 2007 performance at the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall in Riverhead.

Nearly 20 years later, Manuel is set to return to the stage at the storied 1881 music venue: this time as its maestro.

Riverhead Town recently voted to sell the historic hall to Manuel’s nonprofit, The Jazz Loft, in a rare split vote. Under the agreement, The Jazz Loft will buy the theater from the town for $150,000, complete crucial infrastructure projects this winter and reopen next summer.

Manuel said he’s looking forward to bringing jazz performances and education to Riverhead, contributing to a growing downtown arts district led by the Suffolk Theater and East End Arts Council. He also hopes to host dance ensembles and other community groups in the space.

“The arts have the ability to connect with people, and it is a healing force,” he said in an interview. “That’s what I’m most excited about; yes, to have this space be alive again, for jazz to be presented, for the collaborations with the other arts organizations … and most importantly, just to be a good steward of the Vail-Leavitt."

Dueling pitches

Riverhead Town advanced negotiations with The Jazz Loft after hearing dueling pitches for the Vail-Leavitt’s future this past spring. The town held a hearing in October to review the nonprofit’s financials and qualifications.

That process divided the board between opting for a nonprofit model over a bigger, for-profit entity proposed by Riverhead developer Ray Castronovo and Mark Chroscielewski, of South Jamesport, who worked with LiveNation to develop Irving Plaza and Warsaw, two concert venues in New York City. 

Chroscielewski had touted their ability to bring bigger musical acts to Riverhead and deeper pockets to renovate and restore the theater, which he claims needs more than $1 million in renovations.

At the Nov. 18 meeting, he said the process was unfair because the town didn’t put out a request for proposals, and he questioned both The Jazz Loft’s ability to finance the endeavor and purported benefits to downtown revitalization.

“There will be no real economic development,” Chroscielewski said. “I think that’s a pipe dream.”

Councilman Bob Kern voted against The Jazz Loft deal, citing concerns about the scope of renovation needed and whether niche programming would attract a wide enough audience. Kern favored Chroscielewski's proposal.

“It needs to be a true performing arts center so they can benefit the businesses downtown and visitors to Riverhead,” Kern said.

The theater is within a state-designated urban renewal zone, which allows municipalities to sell properties without a bidding process so long as the proposal contributes to revitalization.

Manuel said he’d like to immediately focus on making sure the building is watertight by replacing the roof, gutters and brick work for an estimated $200,000. Future renovation phases would address aesthetic elements, including new floors.

But Manuel doesn’t want to alter the interior of the theater, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, too much.

“When you think of this theater, all it’s been through, all it’s survived and all of the exciting things that have happened on its stage … it’s great to be a part of that magic,” he said.

Building's storied past

The building had been used as an opera house, clothing store and Chinese restaurant before the town purchased it in 1980, according to downtown Riverhead’s historic trail program.

Since 1982, the theater had been run by the Council for the Vail-Leavitt Music Hall, a nonprofit. Riverhead Town in 2023 invoked a clause in that contract allowing it to seize the building back if it was not properly maintained or being run as a cultural arts center.

Councilman Ken Rothwell previously opposed the sale to The Jazz Loft but ultimately supported the proposal, saying “it has the potential to be a really great project.”

Based in Stony Brook, The Jazz Loft has experience in historic preservation and previously restored a structure that dates to the 1770s as part of its performing space. At last month’s hearing, nonprofit officials reported $256,000 in cash and $850,000 in equity and said ticket revenues have exceeded $5 million over the last five years.

Councilwoman Denise Merrifield pushed back against Chroscielewski’s claims, saying the Loft has been a success in Stony Brook.

“It’s 10 years in operation already, fully functioning, huge audiences,” Merrifield said. “To say that they don’t know what they’re doing is really disingenuous.”

The nonprofit plans to finance renovations and operations at the Vail-Leavitt through philanthropic backers and grants.

Riverhead plans to modify its Community Development Block Grant programs to contribute $75,000 to improvements at the Vail, a measure Kern also voted against. That money was previously allocated for parking lot improvements.

Community development director Dawn Thomas, who spearheaded talks with The Jazz Loft, said Manuel is “exactly the kind of community partner” Riverhead sought that will “set the brand and tone for downtown.”

Manuel said his philosophy is to start small and build Riverhead's audience over time.

"The Jazz Loft, we do 225 shows a year. We certainly didn't start doing 225 a year when we opened 10 years ago," he said. "The plan is to present a really great program and series for the year."