New York City has been a cultural institution for as long as it has been a city.
We've hosted some of the most epic concerts by the world's best orchestras and most popular recording artists. Seriously, it's freakin' NYC; if you're a musician and you play here, you better be taking it more seriously than most, if not all other, cities.
And we have amazing venues. Amazing. There are giant stadiums and arenas. Yes, we're so epic that we have Madison Square Garden and Barclays Center. And when a major recording artists like The Weeknd comes to town, he doesn't have to choose one or the other; he plays both.
So since NYC's been "goin' up" since the early 1600s, what about our most historic venues? There has to be one or two that are epic and old but still incredible, right?
Yes. Now, there are plenty of really awesome smaller, newer venues around NYC; you may remember the list we ran down the most underrated NYC venues, just recently.
For this one, though, we're not talking about that.
This list is all about the 7 oldest venues in NYC that are still in operation. (And yes, some are around one hundred years old, which is absolutely wild when you think about it.)
Now get those bucket lists out, will ya, New Yorkers?
1. The Bitter End (147 Bleecker Street)
leecollins08 Caught @theharmonicalewinskies at #thebitterend for #cmj2015 and they tore that shit down. @thesonsilvanus @ollieollieboombalay @zebedeerow #panorama #vsco #vscocam #nyc #rocknroll
The Bitter End has been around since 1961. Back in the day, the Village stood out much more in the landscape of NYC. Bohemians abounded, and they needed places to listen to jazz and folk music in. Enter: The Bitter End.
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For a long, long time, owner Paul Colby has been booking top notch comedians and musicians like George Carlin, Curtis Mayfield, Richard Pryor and Joan Baez.
That's right. Enough said.
2. The Beacon Theatre (2124 Broadway Avenue)
The Beacon Theatre opened back in 1929 sporting vaudeville, movies, drama, opera, and musical productions.
Considered the "older sister" of Radio City Music Hall, it was the product of theatre expert Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel, who conceived both classic NYC venues.
Over the better part of the last century, The Beacon has stood as a cultural center, drawing acts like Earth, Wind, and Fire, Elvis Costello, Sting, and the annual Allman Brothers Band's three-night "Beacon Run."
3. Cafe Wha? (115 Macdougal Street)
lars_williams NYC - check out my super talented sister @alexabwilliams on a panel discussion of artists donating work to the ADL benefit. #antidefamationleague #villagelandmark #cafewha
Back in 1961, a 19-year old Bob Dylan asked to play a few songs on "Hootenanny Night" at Cafe Wha?, which was already a hopping joint at the time. And apparently, it went over well, because he landed a regular job there.
Having the self-ascribed reputation of "Greenwich Village's Swingingest Coffee House," Cafe Wha? was, is, and will continue to be kind of a big deal.
As a venue where up-and-comers could come and try out their skills, you oftentimes end up with the likes of a young Jimi Hendrix giving the stage a shot. It's absolutely epic and deserves a spot on this list, for sure.
4. Carnegie Hall (881 7th Avenue)
carnegiehall #LastNight the stage was illuminated orange for The Scheherazade Initiative’s Benefit for The UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women. Other iconic landmarks that have been illuminated to support the elimination of gender-based violence include @empirestatebldg, @UnitedNations Headquarters, the Administration Building of Panama Canal, and the Sphinx and Pyramids of Giza. #carnegiehall #ScheherazadeInitiative #chrisleephoto 📷: Chris Lee
In the 1890's, back when the Brooklyn Bridge was still brand spankin' new, Carnegie Hall went up.
The land and construction alone cost a whopping $1 million. Imagine if you could build your own venue like that these days, for just a million bucks?
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Designed by architect and amateur cellist William Burnet Tuthill, special attention was paid to the best acoustical designs, eliminating commonplace theatre design facets like frescoed walls, heavy curtains, and chandeliers likely to inhibit sound.
It's now one of the most famous venues in the world. It's so famous it has its own joke known by many New Yorkers:
How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice.
,5. Naumburg Bandshell (Rumsey Playfield - Central Park)
camiarrow Naumburg Orchestral Concerts yearly in #CentralPark #NYC since 1908. 1908!!! Classical Music has a way of #calming me right down and helps me return to the #present moment when surrounded by the #sound of music and #talent like this. It's like #yoga class for the ears! This was a #free concert which is #awesome as #culture, #music and #art is for EVERYONE! #musicishealing #balancedinthecity #wisdom #wellness #balance #classicalmusic
There used to be a cast iron bandstand right near the Beethoven statue in Central Park until the right people realized that it was a useless structure and should be replaced with something more... useful instead.
The Naumburg Bandshell went up in 1923, and concerts in the Park have sounded massively better ever since, with a little help from advancements in acoustic engineering. Not only that, but it is a beautiful example of Neo-Classical architecture-- the only example inside Central Park, in fact.
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It's located in the middle of The Park, between 66th and 73nd Streets, and it's a great place to hang out-- even when there's no music going down.
6. Webster Hall (125 East 11th Street)
Since 1886, Webster Hall has been a performing arts center, and now it's New York University stronghold as much as it is a live performance institution. Sure, tons of college students live nearby so they pack the place out a lot, but Webster Hall is way more than that.
They have three rooms with capacities ranging from 400 to 1500, and they're all pretty unique and amazing, but the Grand Ballroom is Webby's claim to fame.
Interesting side note: music and performing are only two parts of the Hall's history.
It used to be an epicenter of left-leaning political demonstrations and was a magnet for anarchists, especially during the early 1900s, when lots of Eastern-European immigrants flooded the Village.
Not a coincidence, the same people and policies greatly affected St. Mark's Place way back then, too.
7. Radio City Music Hall (1260 6th Avenue)
radiocitymusichall A SOLD-OUT #RadioCity is going to be on a whole another wavelength tonight as @tame__impala and special guest #LAPriest are ready to take over the Showplace of the Nation! #TameImpalaRadioCity
When NYC was creeping its way into the 1930s, "the Great Depression was on," as the old folks say.
Obscenely wealthy John D. Rockefeller had a twenty-four year lease on a chunk of Midtown, costing him a cool $91 million.
At the time, $91 million was an absurd amount of money, especially because nobody had it at the time-- well, except for the ultra-wealthy upper crust of the country, which included very few industrialists and politicians.
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So Rockefeller took a risk. He built the most amazing concert hall that anyone had ever seen in NYC since Carnegie Hall, and boom, it's remained at the top of the list of places to perform ever since.
We don't have to tell you... it's a very much so a big deal.
Check out 9 Most Underrated NYC Music Venues You Need to Check Out Like, Now.
[Feature Image Courtesy 3B Photo]