Two prominent New York City music venues are undergoing major changes to start 2026.
Music Hall of Williamsburg was quietly sold to a developer this past week, while Bowery Electric will transform from a music venue into a theatre, signaling continued pressure on the city’s independent live music scene.
Music Hall of Williamsburg’s building at 66 North 6th Street in Brooklyn was sold to local developer Michael Weitzman for $14 million in December, according to Brooklyn Magazine. Asana Partners, which owned the property, took a loss of over 10 percent on the historic 10,000-square-foot structure they purchased for $15.9 million in 2019. The deal closed Dec. 11, though Weitzman had reportedly been in contact with the building’s owners since September 2024.
The sale follows Bowery Presents, Music Hall of Williamsburg’s promoter and operator, announcing plans to close when the lease runs out at the end of 2026. Weitzman has not offered any indication about the future of the 650-capacity venue, which has operated as a music venue since 2001 and joined the Bowery Presents roster in 2007.
Unlike the landmarked Polonaise Terrace in Greenpoint where Weitzman plans to build a 35-unit mixed-use development, Music Hall of Williamsburg carries no landmark designation from the city. The venue’s tiered seating, balconies, glass bricks in the entrance and marquee face no protection from potential redevelopment. Shows remain on the calendar for 2026, including performances from Westerman, Whitney, Natalie Bergman and Armand Hammer, with tickets available through Bowery Presents.
Meanwhile, Bowery Electric announced it will close after 17 years at 327 Bowery in Manhattan’s East Village, reopening Feb. 18 as Bowery Palace, a 100-seat theater. The venue, co-owned by Jesse Malin, will launch with an off-Broadway run of “Silver Manhattan,” Malin’s autobiographical stage show, following a sold-out workshop residency at the Gramercy Theatre starting this past September.
The transformation represents a pivot rather than a loss, keeping the space within the music community. Malin, who suffered a rare spinal stroke in May 2023 that left him paralyzed from the waist down, returned to performing in December 2024 at the Beacon Theater. The Queens native launched his music career at age 12 fronting hardcore band Heart Attack before serving as lead vocalist of D Generation in the 1990s.
Bowery Electric hosted acts ranging from Patti Smith to Green Day (performing under the alias Foxboro Hot Tubs) during its run. The venue sits in a neighborhood long associated with New York’s rock scene and considered the birthplace of punk, though much of the area’s edge has been replaced by high-end stores and rising rents. CBGB, the legendary dive bar where the Ramones, Talking Heads and Blondie cut their teeth, closed in 2006.
The changes come as several other independent venues in the city have closed in recent months, including Rockwood Music Hall and Saint Vitus Bar. While Bowery Electric’s conversion maintains the building’s cultural use, Music Hall of Williamsburg’s fate remains unclear as the developer weighs options for the property.
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