{{Short description|Former nightclub in New York City}} {{Infobox venue | name = Lit Lounge | logo_image = alt=Logo consisting of bold black lettering spelling "Lit Lounge" on a white background | logo_caption = Logo of Lit Lounge | image = | image_size = | image_alt = | caption = | pushpin_map = | pushpin_mapsize = | pushpin_map_caption = | pushpin_label_position = | pushpin_relief = | address = 93 2nd Avenue | location = East Village, Manhattan, New York, US | coordinates = {{Coord|40|43|37.8|N|73|59|20.3|W|type:landmark|display=inline,title}} | elevation = <!-- {{cvt|...|ft|m}} or {{cvt|...|m|ft}} --> | type = Nightclub | broke_ground = | built = | opened = {{Start date|2002|2|22}} | renovated = | expanded = | closed = {{End date|2015|7|30}} | demolished = | owner = Erik Foss & David Schwartz | operator = | surface = | scoreboard = | production = | cost = | architect = | builder = | project_manager = | structural_engineer = | services_engineer = | general_contractor = | main_contractors = | seating_type = | capacity = | suites = | record_attendance = | dimensions = | field_shape = | acreage = | volume = | tenants = | embedded = | website = | public_transit = {{ubl| * 20px 20px Astor Place * 20px 20px Second Avenue }} }}
'''Lit Lounge''' was a nightclub in the East Village neighborhood of Manhattan in New York City. The two-floor complex housed a concert venue, lounge, dance floor, and '''Fuse Gallery''', an art exhibition space. Lit Lounge was noted as a major venue for New York City's hipster subculture in the mid- to late 2000s, particularly the indie rock and electroclash scene of the era.
==History== Lit Lounge was owned by Erik Foss and David Schwartz, who worked at East Village and Bowery-area bars throughout the 1990s. Lit opened on February 22, 2002, while Fuse Gallery opened on March 16, 2002, with an exhibition of works by H.R. Giger.<ref name="BB1"/> Lit quickly became a major venue for New York's hipster subculture, particularly the indie rock and electroclash scene of the era.<ref name="Local"/><ref name="CBS"/> It was among the first New York clubs to embrace European DJs in the mashup genre such as Soulwax and Erol Alkan, along with post-hardcore artists such as Sergio Vega of Quicksand.<ref name="Local"/> Lit declined in popularity after The Beatrice Inn converted into a nightclub in 2006, though enjoyed a resurgence after Beatrice was shut down in 2009.<ref name="Local"/>
In 2010, the bar was the subject of protests during a request for a license transfer for a new venture, in which local residents claimed Lit frequently played music past 4 a.m. on weekends and contributed to crowding on sidewalks.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Amanda |first1=Klundt |title=Porchetta Follow Up is a Go; Lit Seeking to Change Identity |url=https://ny.eater.com/2010/3/16/6740215/porchetta-follow-up-is-a-go-lit-seeking-to-change-identity |website=Eater |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=March 16, 2010}}</ref> Lit withdrew their transfer request in response, and committed to hiring additional security and installing additional soundproofing material.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Solish |first1=Scott |title=Like A Good Neighbor, Lit Lounge Is There |url=https://ny.eater.com/2010/4/29/6735381/like-a-good-neighbor-lit-lounge-is-there |website=NY Eater |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=April 29, 2010}}</ref>
Fuse Gallery closed on August 6, 2013, citing financial difficulties.<ref name="Fuse2"/> On July 8, 2015, Foss and Schwartz announced that Lit Lounge would close "within the next two months."<ref name="ClubPlanet"/> Rising rents and the changing social scene of the East Village were cited as primary reasons for the closure, with the majority of Lit Lounge's clients having migrated to the Brooklyn neighborhoods of Bushwick, Greenpoint, and Williamsburg.<ref name="ClubPlanet"/> Lit Lounge abruptly closed on July 30, 2015, following an incident in which a 34-year-old teacher at Léman Manhattan Preparatory School was alleged to have had sex with a 16-year-old student in the bathroom at Lit Lounge.<ref name="Goth1"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Rosenberg |first1=Rebecca |last2=Rosenbaum |first2=Sophia |title=Prep school teacher had sex with student in nightclub bathroom, cops say |url=https://nypost.com/2015/07/30/prep-school-teacher-had-sex-with-student-in-nightclub-bathroom-cops-say/ |website=New York Post |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=July 30, 2015}}</ref> In December 2015, the gay bar The Cock moved into the space at 93 Second Avenue formerly occupied by Lit Lounge.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Maurer |first1=Daniel |title=The Cock Slips Into Lit's Old Home, Gets 'Bigger, Longer, Harder' |url=https://bedfordandbowery.com/2015/12/the-cock-slips-into-lits-old-home-gets-bigger-longer-harder/ |website=Bedford + Bowery |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=December 10, 2015}}</ref>
Foss and Schwartz announced plans to reopen Lit Lounge at a location in the McKibbin Street Lofts in East Williamsburg, Brooklyn, which was at the time occupied by the Currant Cafe, a restaurant they opened in March 2014.<ref name="AMNY"/><ref>{{cite web |last1=Maurer |first1=Daniel |title=Lit Is Opening a Place in the McKibbin Lofts |url=https://bedfordandbowery.com/2014/02/lit-is-opening-a-place-in-the-mckibbin-lofts/ |website=Bedford + Bowery |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=February 25, 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last1=Shiffman |first1=Allyson |title=Eat a Sloppy Joe at Currant Cafe Sunday While You Wait For Lit Brooklyn to Open |url=https://bedfordandbowery.com/2014/03/eat-a-sloppy-joe-at-currant-cafe-this-sunday-while-you-wait-for-lit-brooklyn-to-open/ |website=Bedford + Bowery |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=March 14, 2014}}</ref> The venue opened as a nightclub under the name Tilt in December 2016,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Maurer |first1=Daniel |title=Lit's Follow-Up Inside of the McKibbin Lofts Finally Opens Friday |url=https://bedfordandbowery.com/2016/12/lits-follow-up-inside-of-the-mckibbin-lofts-finally-opens-friday/ |website=Bedford + Bowery |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=December 8, 2016}}</ref> which closed in February 2019.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Graves |first1=Cassidy Dawn |title=McKibbin's Club Tilt Is Becoming A Gay Bar, The Vault |url=https://bedfordandbowery.com/2019/02/mckibbins-club-tilt-is-becoming-a-gay-bar-the-vault/ |website=Bedford + Bowery |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=February 1, 2019}}</ref>
==Reception and legacy== [[File:Elliott Smith live NYC.jpg|thumb|right|One of Elliott Smith's final live performances in New York at Lit Lounge, January 2003]] ''AM New York Metro'' described Lit Lounge as "the nexus of cool people and indie bands in the early-mid 2000s."<ref name="AMNY"/> The club attracted numerous celebrities as patrons, including Chloë Sevigny, Kirsten Dunst, and The Strokes.<ref name="AMNY"/><ref name="DNA"/> Notable artists who performed or exhibited at Lit include actors Mike Myers and Leo Fitzpatrick; photographers Ryan McGinley and Mick Rock; filmmaker Spike Jonze; and musicians Karen O, Nick Zinner, David Yow, and James Iha.<ref name="BB1"/><ref name="Fuse1"/> Writer Cat Marnell, a regular at Lit Lounge, described the club as "such a piece-of-shit place in the best way possible" and "like ''Cheers'' ... but with PCP and vodka."<ref name="BB1"/> Several music videos were filmed at Lit, including "Rich Girls" by The Virgins and "Boy Boy" by Lissy Trullie.<ref name="BB1"/>
==References== <references> <ref name="AMNY">{{cite web |last1=Kral |first1=Georgia |title=Lit Lounge is leaving the East Village |url=https://www.amny.com/lifestyle/lit-lounge-closing-moving-to-brooklyn-1-10629579/ |website=AM New York Metro |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=July 10, 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="BB1">{{cite web |last1=Disser |first1=Nicole |title='It Was Our Fantasy': The Story of Lit Lounge, Told By Its Regulars |url=http://bedfordandbowery.com/2015/08/it-was-our-fantasy-the-story-of-lit-lounge-told-by-its-regulars |website=Bedford + Bowery |accessdate=18 October 2020 |date=13 August 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="DNA">{{cite web |last1=Arino |first1=Lisha |title=Lit Lounge Leaving East Village After 14 Years and Moving to Brooklyn |url=https://www.dnainfo.com/new-york/20150709/east-village/lit-lounge-leaving-east-village-after-14-years-moving-brooklyn/ |website=DNA Info |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=July 9, 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="Fuse1">{{cite web |last1=Maurer |first1=Daniel |title=After 11 Years, Fuse Gallery Is Closing Behind Lit Lounge |url=https://bedfordandbowery.com/2013/08/after-11-years-fuse-gallery-is-closing-behind-lit-lounge/ |website=Bedford + Bowery |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=August 6, 2013}}</ref>
<ref name="Fuse2">{{cite web |last1=Maurer |first1=Daniel |title=It's the End of Fuse Gallery as We Know It, and Erik Foss Feels Fine |url=https://bedfordandbowery.com/2013/08/its-the-end-of-fuse-gallery-as-we-know-it-and-erik-foss-feels-fine/ |website=Bedford + Bowery |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=August 9, 2013}}</ref>
<ref name="ClubPlanet">{{cite web |last1=Lewis |first1=Steve |title=Lit Lounge Will Close |url=https://www.clubplanet.com/Articles/11016/INSIDE-GOING-OUT-with-Steve-Lewis-LIT-LOUNGE-WILL-CLOSE |website=Club Planet |accessdate=18 October 2020 |date=8 July 2015}}</ref>
<ref name="CBS">{{cite web |title=NYC's 5 Best Hipster Bars |url=https://newyork.cbslocal.com/top-lists/best-hipster-bars-in-new-york/ |website=CBS New York |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=May 24, 2012}}</ref>
<ref name="Local">{{cite web |last1=Lemoine |first1=Ray |title=The Three Lives of Lit Lounge |url=http://localeastvillage.com/2012/03/14/the-three-lives-of-lit-lounge/ |website=The Local East Village |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=March 14, 2012}}</ref>
<ref name="Goth1">{{cite web |last1=Tempey |first1=Nathan |title=Prep School Teacher Arrested For Having Sex With Student In Lit Lounge Bathroom |url=https://gothamist.com/news/prep-school-teacher-arrested-for-having-sex-with-student-in-lit-lounge-bathroom |website=Gothamist |accessdate=October 19, 2020 |date=July 30, 2015}}</ref> </references>
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20150205213743/http://www.litloungenyc.com/ Official website] (defunct, link via Internet Archive) * [https://vimeo.com/38045215 "Nick Zinner and Company Celebrate Ten Years of Lit"], retrospective video by ''The Local East Village'' (via Vimeo) * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVDNcN9Dg_U Music video for "Rich Girl"] by The Virgins, filmed at Lit Lounge (via YouTube)
{{East Village, Manhattan}}
Category:2002 establishments in New York City Category:2015 disestablishments in New York (state) Category:East Village, Manhattan Category:Cultural history of New York City Category:Former music venues in New York City Category:Nightclubs in Manhattan Category:Second Avenue (Manhattan)