Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
Arts & Entertainment
Sotheby's Is Auctioning Off One Of The CBGB Awnings
By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 28, 2016
Modified Nov 28, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Carlson
Published Nov 28, 2016
Modified Nov 28, 2016
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Earlier this year we went on a mission to find all of the original CBGB awnings, speaking with everyone from old employees and bookers to the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame. The biggest break came when former manager Drew Bushong reached out to tell us he snagged one of the awnings in 2004, after it had been discarded on the street with the trash. Bushong even dusted off the old thing and brought it back home for this photo:
Photo by Rainer Turim
Now Bushong tells us he's ready to part with it (in exchange for some cold, hard cash)—he's put it on the Sotheby's auction block. It's listed as the original awning, but according to our research it's one of the later awnings. The first—which was hand-painted by owner Hilly Kristal—is long-believed to be held by Jody Foster's Army (JFA), who allegedly stole it after a show in the 1980s.
This is the theory held not only by Kristal, but various employees who worked the night the awning was stolen, and also the Rock n' Roll Hall Of Fame's Curatorial Director, Howard Kramer, who told us how he tried to get the band to own up to their "prank."
The awning on the auction block was installed "sometime around 2000," the club's old booker Brendan Rafferty told us, adding that "awning was taken down and replaced after being badly damaged... [it] was thrown out by Hilly, but 'rescued from a dumpster by a former CBGB employee.'" That former employee is Bushong, who now stands to get an estimated $25,000 to $35,000 for it. Maybe JFA will finally come forward...
Definitely not the original, despite what Sotheby's claims.
We've reached out to Sotheby's regarding the claim that this is the original awning, and will update when we hear back.
Tagged
auction
awning
cbgb
cbgb awning
drew bushong
sotheby's
original
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE arts-entertainment
A visit to Art of Play, the Brooklyn store in an animatronic bird beef with Kelly Clarkson
"Kelly Clarkson has put us in danger," says the co-owner of Art of Play.
By
Sonia Rao
Published Oct 13, 2026 at 3:17 p.m. ET
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Arts & Entertainment
The hottest way to show you're an authentic New Yorker is… riding a Citi Bike?
Thanks to Dua Lipa, Kim Kardashian, Timothée Chalamet and more, the rideshare program is having a moment.
By
Lindsay Lee Wallace
Is NYC’s hottest attraction the free observation deck at 1 Centre Street?
By
James Ramsay
What happens when NYC kids take lessons in rock music? Really good bands.
By
Jayson Greene
Inside a photographer's journey to visit every neighborhood in New York City
By
Sonia Rao
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .