Summer in the Square Events

Rock venue Irving Plaza is set to go quiet this summer for an eight-month renovation. The 150-year-old venue hosts its last scheduled show for the year on June 30—headlined by tropical band Guaco—before shutting down for work that is scheduled to last until next spring.

Live Nation, the concert hall’s operator, announced the planned renovations this week along with the Polish Army Veterans Association, which has owned the building since 1948.

The 3,300-square-foot hall was converted from a Polish-American community center into a concert venue in 1978. Since then, Irving Plaza’s marquee has listed big-name artists including Bob Dylan, the Foo Fighters, Radiohead and the Talking Heads. Paul McCartney played a surprise show there to a capacity crowd of about 1,000 on Valentine’s Day in 2015.

But, as some Yelp reviews document, concertgoers have complained about the venue’s narrow interior and a layout that makes it difficult to buy a drink or use the restroom without missing segments of the show.

Live Nation is promising that the venue will reopen with a revamped lobby, new bars, a downstairs VIP lounge and a remodeled mezzanine with a new configuration for box seats. A Live Nation spokesman said four new bathrooms are on the way as well.

The holiday shopping season kicks off in November with the opening of the popular Union Square Holiday Market, operated by Urban Space Management.  The market is open every day from Wednesday, November 25th through Wednesday, December 24th with the exception of Thanksgiving. Be sure to stop by for a variety of unique items including handcrafted jewelry, fine art, clothes, handmade ornaments, and toys for kids of all ages. Market hours are Monday through Friday, 11 AM to 8 PM; Saturdays, 10 AM to 8 PM; Sundays, 11 AM to 7 PM; and 10 AM to 4 PM on Christmas Eve. Don’t forget to stop by the Holiday Market Information Booth to pick up coupons for special discounts at over 20 Union Square restaurants and eateries.

Next week (March 19 to March 23), Superstructure work will continue at the 8th floor level. Deliveries for the internal systems of the building have been ongoing and will continue, although they should not greatly affect the flow of pedestrian and road traffic.

The following week (March 26 to March 30), we will continue superstructure concrete and slabs on the 8th and 9th floor levels. Deliveries for the internal systems of the building have been ongoing and will continue, although they should not greatly affect the flow of pedestrian and road traffic.

This weekend the site will be open on Saturday, March 17th for superstructure related activities between the work hours of 7AM and 5PM as permitted by the City. To control noise levels within the site, work activities will be limited to the placement of formwork and concrete, plumbing and electrical work, rebar for concrete placement, using the crane and equipment to support all activities. Safety horns are used, and required by law, to coordinate lifting with the crane and to alert the workers of the danger overhead. We have directed the operators to limit the use of horns to one short sounding and to use the crane later in the day so as to avoid any excess noise.

In addition, tomorrow, Friday the 16th, we will be starting operations at 6am in anticipation of a large concrete pour and will more than likely, with notification of the Department of Buildings, be going later into the evening to finish. Also on the weekend of the 10th the 14th St. Con Ed Vault utility connection street work will continue per DOT Permit granted for weekends only.

Now open: Gunz European cookie store, replacing the good ol’ University Diner. It’s a weird addition to the neighborhood for sure.

NYU, which will lease it back to Forbes for five years before moving in.