[Ottawade]

I can't seem to find any sources online to back it up, but apparently Barrymore's music hall was sold on Monday to an undisclosed buyer and is closed until further notice.

I'm half way on the issue. The building (hopefully historic?) is slightly neglected and could use a fix up, but it is by far our biggest venue for bringing in certain acts and did at times do a good job of it. Plus a whole hell of a lot of students love 80s/90s night and well the Aloha room is just plain awesome.

Hopefully the new owner gives the place a facelift, but keeps it as a notable venue.

[c_speed3108]

I can't seem to find any sources online to back it up, but apparently Barrymore's music hall was sold on Monday to an undisclosed buyer and is closed until further notice.

I'm half way on the issue. The building (hopefully historic?) is slightly neglected and could use a fix up, but it is by far our biggest venue for bringing in certain acts and did at times do a good job of it. Plus a whole hell of a lot of students love 80s/90s night and well the Aloha room is just plain awesome.

Hopefully the new owner gives the place a facelift, but keeps it as a notable venue.

The Ottawa Sun had something on this yesterday. It has been sold and closed at least for the moment. I can't imagine someone buying this to close since most of it's value is in it being open. I would therefore think this is just temporary while the legal stuff works its way through.

[Mille Sabords]

Whoa, I missed that! Thanks for the heads up. Actually, it looks to me as though the building needs not just "a fix up", and it's not just "slightly neglected"... look at the facade, all the ornamentation is falling apart. The space is incredibly valuable as a nightclub and live music hall because of its acoustics. It opened in 1914 as the Imperial Theatre and had Canada's largest pipe organ (to play with silent movies), so the entire auditorium has among the best sound insulation anywhere. I've been to many shows there and from the outside you really don't hear a sound.

Well, I'm going to follow this one closely. Here's hoping the new owner intends to do a careful and loving restoration of a building that deserves it - would be nice to celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2014 after a top-to-bottom restoration.

[O-Town Hockey]

I'm always disappointed when I drive by Barrymore's and imagine what it would look like with a bit of TLC and $100 000 or so. It really is a nice building, but they've let the facade turn to crap. Hopefully this new owner has plans to bring it back to former glory!

[m0nkyman]

The owner of the building and the owner of the club are two different people. Don't expect to see the building owner that has allowed it to deteriorate for as long as they have to put anything into the building, and there is no reason for the club owner to put the kind of money into the facade that is required.

I'm fairly close to many of the parties involved, so I ain't saying more... just that I hope that it returns to it's live music roots and doesn't turn into just another dance bar.

[Ottawade]

I'd assume that this is all tied in to the sale, but there are two unused portions of the building that did recently get a face lift when Barrymore's was shut down for violate some liquor laws. The first is the old imperial arcade space and then there is another side door that now looks really fancy with red curtains and a nice sign. Any idea if anything has opened up in there?

[harls]

http://www.ottawasun.com/Showbiz/OtherShowbiz/2008/09/11/6729711-sun.html

Barrymore's open for business with new owner

By DENIS ARMSTRONG, SUN MEDIA

Thu, September 11, 2008

Barrymore's Music Hall is back in business.

For the first time since the building was locked shut Aug. 18, the Bank St. nightclub will reopen later today with its popular Retro-'90s night event.

That means tomorrow's scheduled live concert, The Metallica Experience and guests Dressed To Klown, will go on as scheduled, as well as a reunion show, The Groovebug, on Saturday.

It's the first time Barrymore's will be open to the public since former owner Randy Lanctot sold the business to Vince Simone, a Montreal-based entrepreneur with clubs in Toronto and Ottawa.

The building's property manager Louis Antonakos said the new owner's immediate plan is to keep the club's current lineup of retro dance and house party events while gradually adding more live concerts by international and national acts. He also wants to update the 94-year-old building, which has deteriorated badly.

In the meantime, the new Imperial Food & Beverage eatery is ready to open next week, while renovations to the Arcade, which has been closed since 2003 but is likely to become a coffee bar and art gallery, will continue until Christmas.

MINOR TOUCHUPS

Beyond renovations to the washrooms and some cosmetic touchups, much of the major structural work on the building, including the theatre and Bank St. facade, has been put on hold until 2009.

"We had no time to make substantive changes," said Antonakos.

The club's reopening caps what has been a turbulent summer for Barrymore's, beginning with a liquor licence suspension in April.

The club's 50 full- and part-time staff found out yesterday they will be rehired.

"How would you like to go without a paycheque for a month?" asked Johnny Vegas, who DJs the Retro-'80s event Sunday night and has been booking the live gigs since May.

"I'm happy people have their jobs back. People have been jonesing for their retro night out for a while. I hope we have a great turnout this weekend."

Full information will be posted on the club's website at www.barrymores.on.ca.



:banana: :cheers:

[Mille Sabords]

:cheers: :cheers: :cheers: :notacrook: