Popular live music and DJ venue Eighteenth Street Lounge, one of many area music venues shuttered since mid-March because of the coronavirus pandemic, will not make a comeback, at least not at its present location.
Eighteenth Street Lounge has been in business for 25 years in its multi-level Dupont Circle row house that’s full of velvet couches and fireplaces.
“Given the uncertainty of when we can welcome patrons back safely, we have decided to close the space indefinitely,” owner Farid Nouri said in a statement.
“There is such huge potential in this market, and the closure of ESL does not mean I will abandon my roots in this city. Rather, I am taking time to listen to the science on public health and rethink strategies for the future of how we can deliver the best experiences to patrons moving forward,” he said.
— 18th Street Lounge (@18thSTLounge) June 22, 2020
Nouri also told Eater D.C. he was unable to renegotiate a lease renewal.
Concert venues will be the last businesses allowed to reopen under D.C.’s staged approach to reopening during the pandemic, and that final stage could be a year or more away.
Big concert venue The Anthem has pivoted to a pop-up bar and restaurant, with private cabanas on District Wharf to weather the extended shutdown.
Eighteenth Street Lounge was known for a wide variety of music — including jazz, funk, reggae and Latin — and hosted live bands five days a week. It had five bar-and-performance areas, including a large roof deck that hosted local and national DJs on a regular basis.
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