Mezzanine forced to shut down earlier than expected following reneged agreementMezzanine Credit Susana Bates

Mezzanine forced to shut down earlier than expected following reneged agreement

The end of 2018 brought grim news that San Francisco institution, Mezzanine, would be shutting its doors the following year. At the time, sources close to the club advised that longtime building owners, The Chritton family, had been working with them to extend their lease tenure and ease the closing. The owners have since reneged on these agreements, however, leading to a darker side of the saga to be exposed.

A mailer from the Mezzanine camp has detailed the unsavory situation, dating back to November when the Chritton family presented a new lease whose terms the club had been unable to meet. At this time, the Chrittons reached out to Mezzanine owner Deborah Jackman to ease the exit with a Letter of Intent to extend their lease beyond eviction point.

“On January 11th, 2019, a letter of intent was sent to Mezzanine ensuring the venue would be given the extension they were hoping for, with the added possibility of re-negotiating the lease long term,” stated the mailer. “With a newly promised closing date of January 31st, 2020, the venue, acting on good faith, continued booking Fall/Winter events while waiting for the finalized lease to be signed by the Chrittons.”

On May 1, however, Jackman was informed to her dismay that the Chrittons had pulled out of their end of the bargain and maintained that the club must be out of the building by October 2019. This surprise reneging will cause great financial damage to the already struggling institution, which now has to face ramifications from both cancelling all of its winter events and moving locations. The Mezzanine is now calling upon all its followers to support them as they fight to retain the move-out date of New Year’s 2020.

Mezzanine has been a pillar of San Francisco nightlife and the Bay Area dance community since opening its doors in 2002. The club has hosted a wide array of talent through its years in business, spanning from Galantis, to Simian Mobile Disco, to Simon Patterson. It is also the largest female-owned venue in the city.

Dancing Astronaut will continue to update this post as further events unfold.

Photo credit: Susana Bates

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