Lit Lounge
{{Short description|Former nightclub in New York City}}
{{Infobox venue
| name = Lit Lounge
| logo_image = alt=Logo consisting of bold black lettering spelling "Lit Lounge" on a white background
| logo_caption = Logo of Lit Lounge
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| address = 93 2nd Avenue
| location = East Village, Manhattan, New York, US
| coordinates = {{Coord|40|43|37.8|N|73|59|20.3|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}}
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| type = Nightclub
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| opened = {{Start date|2002|2|22}}
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| closed = {{End date|2015|7|30}}
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| owner = Erik Foss & David Schwartz
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Lit Lounge was a nightclub in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The two-floor complex housed a concert venue, lounge, dance floor, and Fuse Gallery, an art exhibition space. Lit Lounge was noted as a major venue for New York City's hipster subculture in the mid- to late 2000s, particularly the indie rock and electroclash scene of the era.
History
Lit Lounge was owned by Erik Foss and David Schwartz, who worked at East Village and Bowery-area bars throughout the 1990s. Lit opened on February 22, 2002, while Fuse Gallery opened on March 16, 2002, with an exhibition of works by H.R. Giger. Lit quickly became a major venue for New York's hipster subculture, particularly the indie rock and electroclash scene of the era. It was among the first New York clubs to embrace European DJs in the mashup genre such as Soulwax and Erol Alkan, along with post-hardcore artists such as Sergio Vega of Quicksand. Lit declined in popularity after The Beatrice Inn converted into a nightclub in 2006, though enjoyed a resurgence after Beatrice was shut down in 2009.
In 2010, the bar was the subject of protests during a request for a license transfer for a new venture, in which local residents claimed Lit frequently played music past 4 a.m. on weekends and contributed to crowding on sidewalks.{{cite web |last1=Amanda |first1=Klundt |title=Porchetta Follow Up is a Go; Lit Seeking to Change Identity |url=https://ny.eater.com/2010/3/16/6740215/porchetta-follow-up-is-a-go-lit-seeking-to-change-identity |website=Eater |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=March 16, 2010}} Lit withdrew their transfer request in response, and committed to hiring additional security and installing additional soundproofing material.{{cite web |last1=Solish |first1=Scott |title=Like A Good Neighbor, Lit Lounge Is There |url=https://ny.eater.com/2010/4/29/6735381/like-a-good-neighbor-lit-lounge-is-there |website=NY Eater |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=April 29, 2010}}
Fuse Gallery closed on August 6, 2013, citing financial difficulties. On July 8, 2015, Foss and Schwartz announced that Lit Lounge would close "within the next two months." Rising rents and the changing social scene of the East Village were cited as primary reasons for the closure, with the majority of Lit Lounge's clients having migrated to the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bushwick, Greenpoint, and Williamsburg. Lit Lounge abruptly closed on July 30, 2015, following an incident in which a 34-year-old teacher at Léman Manhattan Preparatory School was alleged to have had sex with a 16-year-old student in the bathroom at Lit Lounge.{{cite web |last1=Rosenberg |first1=Rebecca |last2=Rosenbaum |first2=Sophia |title=Prep school teacher had sex with student in nightclub bathroom, cops say |url=https://nypost.com/2015/07/30/prep-school-teacher-had-sex-with-student-in-nightclub-bathroom-cops-say/ |website=New York Post |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=July 30, 2015}} In December 2015, the gay bar The Cock moved into the space at 93 Second Avenue formerly occupied by Lit Lounge.{{cite web |last1=Maurer |first1=Daniel |title=The Cock Slips Into Lit's Old Home, Gets 'Bigger, Longer, Harder' |url=https://bedfordandbowery.com/2015/12/the-cock-slips-into-lits-old-home-gets-bigger-longer-harder/ |website=Bedford + Bowery |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=December 10, 2015}}
Foss and Schwartz announced plans to reopen Lit Lounge at a location in the McKibbin Street Lofts in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which was at the time occupied by the Currant Cafe, a restaurant they opened in March 2014.{{cite web |last1=Maurer |first1=Daniel |title=Lit Is Opening a Place in the McKibbin Lofts |url=https://bedfordandbowery.com/2014/02/lit-is-opening-a-place-in-the-mckibbin-lofts/ |website=Bedford + Bowery |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=February 25, 2014}}{{cite web |last1=Shiffman |first1=Allyson |title=Eat a Sloppy Joe at Currant Cafe Sunday While You Wait For Lit Brooklyn to Open |url=https://bedfordandbowery.com/2014/03/eat-a-sloppy-joe-at-currant-cafe-this-sunday-while-you-wait-for-lit-brooklyn-to-open/ |website=Bedford + Bowery |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=March 14, 2014}} The venue opened as a nightclub under the name Tilt in December 2016,{{cite web |last1=Maurer |first1=Daniel |title=Lit's Follow-Up Inside of the McKibbin Lofts Finally Opens Friday |url=https://bedfordandbowery.com/2016/12/lits-follow-up-inside-of-the-mckibbin-lofts-finally-opens-friday/ |website=Bedford + Bowery |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=December 8, 2016}} which closed in February 2019.{{cite web |last1=Graves |first1=Cassidy Dawn |title=McKibbin's Club Tilt Is Becoming A Gay Bar, The Vault |url=https://bedfordandbowery.com/2019/02/mckibbins-club-tilt-is-becoming-a-gay-bar-the-vault/ |website=Bedford + Bowery |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=February 1, 2019}}
Reception and legacy
File:Elliott Smith live NYC.jpg's final live performances in New York at Lit Lounge, January 2003]]
AM New York Metro described Lit Lounge as "the nexus of cool people and indie bands in the early-mid 2000s." The club attracted numerous celebrities as patrons, including Chloë Sevigny, Kirsten Dunst, and The Strokes. Notable artists who performed or exhibited at Lit include actors Mike Myers and Leo Fitzpatrick; photographers Ryan McGinley and Mick Rock; filmmaker Spike Jonze; and musicians Karen O, Nick Zinner, David Yow, and James Iha. Writer Cat Marnell, a regular at Lit Lounge, described the club as "such a piece-of-shit place in the best way possible" and "like Cheers ... but with PCP and vodka." Several music videos were filmed at Lit, including "Rich Girl" by The Virgins and "Boy Boy" by Lissy Trullie.
References
{{reflist|refs=
{{cite web |last1=Kral |first1=Georgia |title=Lit Lounge is leaving the East Village |url=https://www.amny.com/lifestyle/lit-lounge-closing-moving-to-brooklyn-1-10629579/ |website=AM New York Metro |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=July 10, 2015}}
{{cite web |last1=Disser |first1=Nicole |title='It Was Our Fantasy': The Story of Lit Lounge, Told By Its Regulars |url=http://bedfordandbowery.com/2015/08/it-was-our-fantasy-the-story-of-lit-lounge-told-by-its-regulars |website=Bedford + Bowery |accessdate=18 October 2020 |date=13 August 2015}}
}}
External links
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20150205213743/http://www.litloungenyc.com/ Official website] (defunct, link via Internet Archive)
- [https://vimeo.com/38045215 "Nick Zinner and Company Celebrate Ten Years of Lit"], retrospective video by The Local East Village (via Vimeo)
- [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVDNcN9Dg_U Music video for "Rich Girl"] by The Virgins, filmed at Lit Lounge (via YouTube)
{{East Village, Manhattan}}
Category:2002 establishments in New York City
Category:2015 disestablishments in New York (state)
Category:East Village, Manhattan
Category:Cultural history of New York City
Category:Former music venues in New York City