3/22/2017
By Ivan Pereira
Rock fans quickly rallied Wednesday to prevent a popular East Williamsburg venue from meeting the same fate as its baseball namesake.
It took six hours for nearly 1,000 backers to fulfill the Kickstarter campaign to reopen Shea Stadium. The venue’s owners had to close the 8-year-old joint after the city’s Department of Buildings issued fines related to “legal use, zoning and licensing.”
The owners needed at least $50,000 for renovations to pass inspections and to meet other legal costs. By midday Wednesday, the campaign met its goal and exceeded it by over $12,000 with more than 1,070 backers.
The Department of Buildings didn’t return immediate messages for comment. There are no recent violations or complaints listed against Shea Stadium’s building, 20 Meadow St., in the agency’s records.
When Shea Stadium first opened in 2009, the small venue was originally a recording studio but eventually added live performances to pay for the costs.
Independent rock venues have struggled in the city recently; locations such as Death By Audio, Glasslands and Trash Bar have had to shut their doors due to increasing costs.
