Outside Lit (Photo: Daniel Maurer)
We waited with bated breath last week for what we expected to be an epic reopening of Lit Lounge. Last month the bar, which is nearing its end of days in the East Village, posted on Facebook that “after a much needed deep cleaning and even more crucial maintenance and repairs,” the place would reopen on Friday, September 11. But that date came and went, and the gates at the downtown institution remained down.
Lit Lounge first abruptly stopped the taps back at the beginning of August, prompting us to solicit an oral history of the storied art bar. At the time, Foss wasn’t too keen on giving us much info about the state of the East Village spot or the new space in Bushwick. (Bartender Jeremiah Black informed us nothing official— not the cops nor the State Liquor Authority— was keeping the doors closed at the original.)
Now Foss tells us via email that there are “no exact dates on both as of yet.” The new Brooklyn location “will not be ready till early 2016.”
As for what’s happening with the East Village location: “Lit Manhattan will reopen for some last special nights in the next month or so.” He added, “We are taking our time and doing it right.”