August 19, 2024 - The Ocean Avenue News

Saint Vitus Bar, a heavy metal music venue in Greenpoint, has closed permanently — at least in its original physical location.

The bar’s three co-owners posted what seemed to be a farewell on Instagram on Saturday, writing “1120 Manhattan Ave. 2011-2024. Saint Vitus Bar to be continued…” along with a selection of photos of the empty venue, as was first reported by Gothamist.

Saint Vitus was closed suddenly by city inspectors in February, after neighbors had called in a number of 311 complaints about noise, illegal occupancy, and unsafe conditions.

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A post shared by Saint Vitus Bar (@saintvitusbar)

At the time, representatives of the city’s Department of Buildings said the venue had been operating as an “illegal eating and drinking establishment.”

The building’s Certificate of Occupancy allows for commercial use and storage, not for operating a music venue, city records show. Saint Vitus received a violation that carried with it a $25,000 fine, per DOB records.

The venue had previously been cited by the New York City Fire Department for flameproofing affidavits — meaning certain items or materials needed to be made fire-retardant – obstructed exits, and no public assembly permit for a restaurant, an FDNY representative told Brooklyn Paper.

A hearing at the city’s Office of Administrative Trials and Hearings for the DOB violation was initially scheduled for March, said DOB representative Ryan Degan, but was postponed until December by request of the property owners.

Since February, the owners have submitted paperwork to update their old applications to legally convert the building into a legal eating and drinking establishment and acquire a place of assembly permit, Degan added, and those permits were approved by DOB — but the owners never asked the department to issue work or the assembly permits, and no construction has been done.

saint vitus bar — The heavy-metal music venue opened in 2011. File photo courtesy of Saint Vitus Bar/Facebook

Saint Vitus did not immediately return Brooklyn Paper’s request for comment.

The venue has continued to “host” concerts and other events at nearby venues and bars — and, as of Aug. 19, the Saint Vitus website still listed a number of gigs scheduled through November. It was not clear if the closure of the Manhattan Avenue location would affect those concerts, or if the owners planned to reopen elsewhere.

The announcement of the closure drew support and despair from former patrons and performers online.

“Truly sad day for nyc music scene. My favorite venue of the past almost 20 years…” one commenter said on Instagram.

“Thanks for contributing so much to the actual culture of this thing we vaguely call ‘heavy music,’” wrote another. “It truly felt like a home for bands and supporters alike.”

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