Bowery Ballroom

Art & Culture | Bars

Art Deco Splendor Meets Impressive Acoustics at this Intimate LES Concert Venue.

Bowery Ballroom Lower East Side Exterior

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About Bowery Ballroom

 & why it made the Carpe City list

  • In 2013, Rolling Stone named the Bowery Ballroom “The Best Club in America.
  • With a capacity of just 575, you’ll always be able to see the band.
  • Known for its exceptional acoustics, the Bowery Ballroom is regularly rated as one of the best music clubs in the city.
  • Be ready to stand and shake what your mamma gave you but don’t expect to sit. We’ve rarely seen a seat inside the venue.
  • Also, as with most venues like this, be comfortable with people in your personal space as concert-goers pack in subway-style.
  • Bring your ID even if you are old enough to remember when MTV was a music channel.
  • The Bowery Ballroom might be the best place to see a concert, but it wasn’t always intended for musical moments.
    • The building itself dates to 1928. Since it was built right before the stock market crash, it was meant to be a high-end retail space but had trouble keeping tenants through tough economic times.
    • The longest-running business to occupy the space was Tree-Mark Shoes, where apparently you could get nice boots, even if you had “larger than average calves.”
    • (That slogan must have helped them score larger than average profits since the store stayed there for more than 30 years.)
  • By the ’90s, the building was an abandoned former haberdashery so, obviously, it was a prime spot for a concert venue…which it became in 1997.
  • While its’ one of New York’s younger venues (for comparison – Webster Hall opened in 1886), it’s easily one of its best.
  • It’s owned by the same team behind Mercury Lounge. Expect to see up-and-coming acts, some awesome established artists and some making a comeback.

By: Lucie Levine

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