It's been nearly two years since the rumor-mongering surrounding Mercury Lounge's future began. Back then, word was spreading that the 217 E. Houston Street venue would soon lose out to real estate development, but the rumors lasted about as long as Tapes n' Tapes hype.
Now Curbed has it that the building housing the venue has hit the market for $6.5 million, and they wonder if the sale will take more music out of Manhattan (the Knitting Factory was under similar circumstances in 2007 and is now headed to Brooklyn). They report, "The five-story walk-up at Houston and Essex Streets—sandwiched between a nightclub and the towering new luxury rental building The Ludlow—has eight apartments (six of them currently rent-stabilized) and a billboard in addition to its commercial tenant." However, Bowery Presents (who owns the venue) has a lease on their ground floor space running through 2018, and they told us this morning: "We do not expect any changes and are not looking to move the Mercury Lounge from our present location."
