Closing time at Cedar’s

This blog generally deals with things from the past, but tonight it has been revealed that one of Youngstown’s longest standing rock venues will close shortly to make way for a yuppie burger joint and some apartments. Here’s what the Vindy had to report today:

Cedar’s Lounge, the legendary rock’n’roll bar with a reputation that extends beyond the region, is being forced out of the location where it’s been for 37 years.

The new owner of the Gallagher Building, which houses Cedar’s, said Friday that the bar will not be permitted to stay.

“Cedar’s will not stay there,” said Dominic Gatta III. “With all the upgrades [it needs], including a new stairwell, new sanitary, bringing the building up to code and everything else, it does not fit my vision for the building.”

Gatta, who bought the Gallagher building for $192,500 in September, has plans to gut the entire first floor of the building.

The first floor is slated to become a high-end burger restaurant and a separate wine/coffee bar. The second floor will house commercial offices, while the third and fourth will be transformed into apartments.

The good news is the bar’s owners are planning on seeking refuge elsewhere in Youngstown, so we’ll see how this plays out. In any case, it’s quite sad to a cultural gem of the city disappear.

Note: Apparently Jan. 30, 2013 is the final day of the club at its current location. It will reopen at a Steel Street location soon.

Hey Babys

At 10:50 p.m. on Dec. 8, 1980 in New York City, John Lennon was shot by Mark David Chapman. As that tragedy unfolded, The Babys, a British rock group with a few minor hits to their name, were playing a gig at the Youngstown Agora. A comment on a Facebook page dedicated to photos of concerts at the Agora said the band only played an hour and left the stage after playing a cover of “Baby You Can Drive My Car”.  The next day at a show in Cincinnati, an overzealous fan pulled singer John Waite off the stage and injured his knee. The band played one more gig in Akron before breaking up for good after roughly a 6 year career.