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The Dark Room On Ludlow Is Probably Closing
By
Jen Carlson
Published Feb 18, 2016
Modified Feb 18, 2016
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Feb 18, 2016
Modified Feb 18, 2016
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No one really took photos back then so this photo of me and some friends is all I got.
The Dark Room opened in 2004, and it was glorious until... probably the end of 2005. I'm not sure what happened after that because my soul aged rapidly and suddenly going out to dimly lit caverns and paying lots of money to drink all night seemed pointless and empty. (JK I moved to an apartment with a private roofdeck where I could drink for free.)
Back then the Room was often the regular hang-out spot for members of Interpol, and other visiting bands like The Killers, who were just babies then. At least one time Lindsay Lohan showed up and wrote something on the bathroom wall. And at the 1s and 2s you could often find Ultragrrrl and Karen Plus One (a.k.a. Tarts of Pleasure). One time I had a birthday party there and it started at 9:30! P.M.! Anyway, there were leather banquettes and stone walls and it felt like a grown-ups lounge in the midst of $3 beer bars.
But if the Dark Room remained true to what was happening on the Lower East Side outside of its doors, it probably hasn't been that great in a long while. And if it really was still great, then I regret to inform you that it's probably closing forever. According to Bowery Boogie:
Word on the street is that the Dark Room ownership is looking to cash out and depart 165 Ludlow for good. The news arrives just a little over a year after the State Liquor Authority sidelined the business for various infractions, including underage drinking, failure to supervise, occupancy concerns, and “cabaret” activities (dancing) without license. The resultant month-long suspension occurred January 2015 and resulted in a $22,500 penalty. (Then chairman Dennis Rosen called the Dark Room a “poster child” for bad operators that ruins communities.) There were also Department of Health-mandated closures, and of course, plenty of community pressure to respect the neighborhood.
Oh well, we thought it closed in 2011 anyway.
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Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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